John Browne High School (Tdorante10/Wikimedia)
Dec. 26, 2018 By Nathaly Pesantez (Updated Feb. 7)
A 16-year-old student died earlier today after collapsing during basketball practice inside a Flushing high school, police said.
Lenny Pierre was practicing inside John Bowne High School at 63-25 Main St. when he collapsed around noon. Responding officers from the 107th Precinct found Pierre unconscious and unresponsive.
The teen was then rushed to New York Presbyterian Hospital- Queens, where he was pronounced dead.
The medical examiner will determine the cause of death, and the investigation is ongoing. Reports, however, say Pierre went into cardiac arrest prior to his death.
Mayor Bill de Blasio said he was heartbroken over Pierre’s death.
“As a parent, and as a father of student athletes, I can only imagine the pain and sorrow being felt by Lenny’s family, loved ones and classmates,” he said in a statement.
Update 2/7: The city’s Medical Examiner said yesterday that Pierre died after going into cardiac arrest stemming from a “anatomic anomaly.”
“This young man was born with anatomic anomaly,” said Dr. Barbara Sampson, chief medical examiner. “A major vessel that brings blood to the heart was in an abnormal location and resulted in his cardiac arrest.”
