A high school freshman in New Jersey collapsed during a physical education class Tuesday morning and later died, authorities said.
The 14-year-old boy took ill while on the track at Franklin High School in Somerset just after 9 a.m. He received CPR and was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead within about two hours.
When school officials found out late Tuesday morning the student had died at Robert Wood Johnson Hospital, they made the announcement over the school's PA system.
Officials haven't said what led to the student collapsing, but students said the word around school was that he had a seizure on the football field.
"They were playing Frisbee and he had the seizure," said senior George Gonzalez, citing other students who witnessed it.
"People were crying in school, screaming," he said.
Another student named Justin told News 4, "To be honest, I'm very distraught about it. I don't know the kid but I feel like I did."
The school district said in a statement, "We are providing counseling to our staff and students. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the student’s family at this time."
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Justin said, "Tomorrow they're supposed to have grieving counselors. They actually have been very helpful in coping with this."
The semi-rural school has an enrollment of more than 2,000 students.
