12-Year-Old Boy Dies After Choking at Yonkers’ Justice Sonia Sotomayor Community School

A 12-year-old boy died after choking during the school day at Justice Sonia Sotomayor Community School in Yonkers, New York, leaving the local community stunned and grieving. The emergency happened just before noon on Wednesday, June 10, 2026, according to officials and eyewitness reporting from WABC. The student, identified by school officials only as a sixth grader, became unresponsive after starting to choke. Staff members responded immediately and attempted life-saving measures, but those efforts were unsuccessful.

Yonkers Public Schools Superintendent said the child was rushed for medical care, but he was later pronounced dead at the hospital. The exact circumstances of what the boy was choking on were not immediately disclosed. Authorities have not released further details about the medical emergency, and police are investigating the incident.

The tragedy has deeply affected the school community, with students, teachers, and staff described as struggling to process the loss. Parents and neighbors in Yonkers are also mourning the death, as the incident has cast a shadow over the close-knit Westchester County community. In the aftermath, support has been directed toward the boy’s classmates and teachers, many of whom witnessed the emergency or were affected by the sudden loss.

Justice Sonia Sotomayor Community School, part of the Yonkers Public Schools system, is now at the center of a heartbreaking event that has raised concerns about school safety and emergency response. The school district has not announced any additional details about counseling services or memorial arrangements, but the community’s reaction has been one of shock, sorrow, and solidarity.

The death comes as local officials continue to review what happened in the minutes before the child became unresponsive. While emergency responders and school personnel acted quickly, the outcome was fatal. Investigators are expected to determine whether any further action is needed after the review of the incident.

For now, the focus in Yonkers remains on supporting those most directly impacted by the boy’s death. Classmates, teachers, school employees, and families are grieving a loss that has shaken the entire school. The incident serves as a painful reminder of how quickly a routine school day can turn into a tragedy.