A 12-year-old boy died Thursday after collapsing during soccer practice following a hot day in San Bernardino.
Adriel Enriquez collapsed on the soccer field on Feb. 26, while practicing with the Platinum IE soccer club, said his uncle, Joshua Gutierrez in a social media post.
“What started as a normal afternoon doing what he loved turned into every parent’s worst nightmare,” Gutierrez wrote in a GoFundMe launched by the family to help cover funeral costs and expenses.
Paramedics were sent to the scene at about 8:40 p.m., said San Bernardino County Fire Department Capt. Eric Sherwin. Adriel was rushed to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead.
“Adriel had no medical issues that we were aware of, and his passing was unexpected and an absolute shock,” Gutierrez wrote on Facebook, alongside a video memorializing his nephew.
Adriel played for Platinum IE since May 2024. Coaches and teammates remembered him as someone who left a mark.
“He was the sweetest most gentle and shy soul with a quiet strength that touched everyone around him,” the club said in a social media post. “Forever our #23.”
The post was liked thousands of times with almost 200 people sharing their condolences in the comments.
Adriel died during a spell of unusually warm winter weather in Southern California. Temperatures peaked at 88 degrees the day he collapsed, according to the National Weather Service.
A cause of death has not yet been determined by the county coroner.
