Western Massachusetts Teenager Dies After Trying Viral Challenge

What is wrong with people these days, for God's sake? I'm referring to these monsters on social media who encourage teens and pre-teens to attempt risky or dangerous challenges. Sadly, the latest victim of one of these challenges was an Amherst Regional Middle School student in Western Massachusetts.

WWLP/22 News reports Nate Squires was found unresponsive Monday after attempting the new “Blackout Challenge”. Nate was just 13 years old. His family members are bringing awareness to a viral TikTok challenge they say left the teenager dead.

The social media challenge, seen on TikTok, encourages children to choke themselves until they lose consciousness. The blackout challenge, which is not a new phenomenon and has many names, been documented by the CDC.

Get our free mobile app

A 2008 study on the “choking game” noted that the challenge is to “choke oneself or another in an effort to obtain a brief euphoric state or ‘high.’” According to his family, Nate was found unresponsive in his home on June 12 and died two days later in the hospital.

Nate's family started a GoFundMe page on Tuesday with a goal of $25,000 to help with some of the financial burdens they may face over the coming months while dealing with the tragedy.

The GoFundMe organizer Samantha Thomas, sister-in-law of Nate’s parents Rachel and Dave Squires, posted on the GoFundMe:

Our entire family feels like the rug has been ripped out from under us and while Rachel and Dave have a long road ahead of them, the least we can do is try and take away any financial burdens that [they] may face in the upcoming months as they deal with the aftermath of this nightmare. All over the world families are losing children to this. We ask that if you cannot donate, please reach out to a child in your life and talk to them about the Blackout Challenge.

The family hopes bringing Nate’s story to light will help or change the minds of others attempting the dangerous challenge. Nate's death is not the first this year. In April, a 12-year-old Colorado boy who attempted the challenge spent three weeks on life support before he died.

Here is a link to the family's GoFundMe page. Check out WWLP's website here for more on the story.

LOOK: Route 66’s quirkiest and most wonderful attractions state by state

Stacker compiled a list of 50 attractions--state by state--to see along the drive, drawing on information from historic sites, news stories, Roadside America, and the National Park Service. Keep reading to discover where travelers can get their kicks on Route 66.

Check Out the Best-Selling Album From the Year You Graduated High School

Do you remember the top album from the year you graduated high school? Stacker analyzed Billboard data to determine just that, looking at the best-selling album from every year going all the way back to 1956. Sales data is included only from 1992 onward when Nielsen's SoundScan began gathering computerized figures.

Going in chronological order from 1956 to 2020, we present the best-selling album from the year you graduated high school.

LOOK: Stunning vintage photos capture the beauty of America's national parks

Today these parks are located throughout the country in 25 states and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The land encompassing them was either purchased or donated, though much of it had been inhabited by native people for thousands of years before the founding of the United States. These areas are protected and revered as educational resources about the natural world, and as spaces for exploration.

Keep scrolling for 50 vintage photos that show the beauty of America's national parks.