Warning From Bethany Police After 12-Year-Old Dies Doing TikTok Challenge

Bethany police said a challenge turned into tragedy after a viral gimmick on TikTok resulted in the death of a 12-year-old boy.

"It's tragic, all the way around for everybody involved in the case," said Lt. Angelo Orefice, with the Bethany Police Department.

According to police, they responded to 911 calls at the Western Oaks Apartments near NW 23rd and Rockwell Ave. They were told a boy was found in one of the breezeways of the building.

"Emergency personnel came, picked up the child and immediately transported him to OU Medical," said Orefice.

Investigators were called out because it was considered a suspicious death. They learned it was allegedly the result of a TikTok game known as the "Black Out" challenge.

"Either choking themselves out by hand or using some type of ligature, like a rope or a belt or something like that," said Orefice. “Just so they can get the euphoria when they start to wake up."

The boy passed away just before 7 a.m. Tuesday, according to police.  

Police are warning parents of situations like this and said to check their children’s social media to avoid these types of things from happening again.

"The social media or internet challenges that are out there are so prevalent, that it's hard for kids to escape that," said Orefice. "Unless they have parental intervention, it's just not going to happen."

The boy has not been identified and it's uncertain how long he was unresponsive before crews arrived.