A tree fell on a 12-year-old New Jersey boy while he was playing outside in the yard with friends, killing him.
Seventh-grader Lucas Schwartz was playing with a friend in his backyard in Lawrence Township on Monday afternoon when the tree hit him, local police said.
Police received the 911 call just after noon.
“Gusty winds” caused the tree to topple on top of the 12-year-old, the Lawrence Township Police Department said. Gusts in the region reached 24 mph on Monday, according to the National Weather Service.
When medics arrived at the home, they removed Schwartz from underneath the tree and started giving him CPR.
They took Schwartz to a local hospital, where he ultimately died.
One parent who sends their child to Lawrence Middle School, where Schwartz attended, told local outlet ABC 6 she is heartbroken.
“I wanted to cry,” parent Kateina Edley told the outlet. “You know that’s not supposed to happen, especially at that age.”
The Lawrence Township School District will have grief counselors, therapy dogs and members of the Mercer County Traumatic Loss Coalition on school grounds to support the students who are grieving Schwartz, ABC 6 reports.
A community member has launched a GoFundMe for Schwartz’s family. Donors have given more than $13,000 as of October 15.
