Puna boy, 10, in critical condition after reported strangling accident

Hawaii County police are investigating how a home accident in Puna left a 10-year-old boy in critical condition Thursday morning.

Police said at about 10:34 a.m. Thursday, patrol officers and the fire department responded to a report of a boy who was not breathing at a home in the Hawaiian Paradise Park subdivision.

Upon arrival, medics immediately began CPR and transported the boy to the emergency room at Hilo Medical Center, where he was listed in critical condition. He was later transferred to Kapiolani Medical Center for Women and Children on Oahu for advanced treatment.

Police said it was determined the boy was playing with a sibling when he accidentally rendered himself unconscious by tying an article of clothing around his neck, obstructing his airway.

The sibling freed the victim and notified his mother, who called 911 and began CPR until medics arrived.

The investigation is ongoing.

Anyone with information relative to this case is asked to contact Detective Zenas Pacheco at 808-961-2384 or zenas.pacheco@hawaiicounty.gov.