Nigerian teen dies after ‘attempting viral social media challenge’
A Southern California Nigerian family is grieving the tragic loss of their 13-year-old son, Nnamdi Glenn Ohaeri Jr., who they believe died after attempting a dangerous social media challenge. The Murrieta teen was found unresponsive in his bedroom on the morning of Feb. 3, just hours after watching the Grammy Awards with his parents. Despite his mother’s efforts to revive him through CPR and his father’s call for emergency assistance, Ohaeri Jr. was pronounced dead.
Initially appearing as a suicide, his parents began their own investigation and discovered that their son may have been influenced by a viral challenge similar to the “Blackout Challenge.” This disturbing trend, previously linked to multiple child fatalities, encourages participants to induce unconsciousness. Although Ohaeri Jr. had strict parental controls on his phone and no social media accounts, his parents suspect he learned about the challenge through classmates.
His father, Nnamdi Ohaeri Sr., expressed deep regret, reflecting on whether he should have had more conversations with his son about the dangers of viral trends.
“We don’t talk about not following social media trends or playing social media games,” he told KTLA. “And maybe we need to.”
The grieving parents now hope their son’s story will raise awareness for other families about hidden online dangers.
A GoFundMe campaign, which has raised over $74,000, describes Ohaeri Jr. as a talented athlete and musician with a bright future. His father, in an emotional update following the teen’s funeral, wrote,
“We remain paralyzed in thought and sorrow in trying to fully understand why.” As the family continues to mourn, they are also working to support their three surviving sons through this heartbreaking loss.