Latest news with #RaquelVazquez
Daily Mail
08-05-2025
- Daily Mail
Teenage boy fighting for his life after 'senior assassin' game goes horribly wrong
A teenager is fighting for his life in the hospital after he jumped on a classmate's car while playing a water gun game called 'senior assassin.' The game is often played by high school seniors who are approaching graduation. Students playing the unofficial game are assigned a fellow classmate as their 'target.' The seniors are then tasked with finding their target and 'shooting' them with a water gun. A Texas teen, Isaac Leal, was participating in the game when he jumped on a girl's Jeep and rode on the back while she continued driving it, his mother, Raquel Vazquez told local NBC affiliate, KXAS-TV. 'The girl reversed and took off and drove for five minutes at a high speed to where he could not jump off,' Vazquez told the outlet. 'She hit a dip and that's where I was told, allegedly, he flew off the Jeep and hit his head.' Cell phone and surveillance camera footage captured the moment the teens jumped on the car. The students appeared to be playing the game as the Jeep started driving down the road with Leal still holding onto the back. An ambulance responded to the scene and found Leal unconscious with a head injury. The incident occurred on April 20, and the South Grand Prairie High Schooler has been in the hospital ever since. While Leal remains on life support, his family is asking for justice. They filed a police report with Arlington Police on May 3. 'I understand accidents happen, but this was not an accident,' Vazquez told CBS News. Leal's father, Jose, added, 'It was literally six turns and it ended up being five minutes, so that's five minutes of him holding on for his life.' Police responded in a statement confirming they were made aware of the incident on May 3, adding that only emergency services were dispatched at the time. EMS rushed to the scene after receiving a call about an 'unconscious person.' Police said they weren't dispatched because the injuries were believed to have been a result of a traffic accident. 'The APD Traffic Division is leading the investigation. Based on evidence we have reviewed, it appears Mr. Leal was hanging out the back of the vehicle when the accident occurred,' the statement continued. As the investigation continues, Leal's parents are hoping and praying for their son's recovery. The family is trying to get the teen moved to a different hospital, but Vasquez told KXAS that her son's bed can't even be moved without his vitals reacting. 'We're going to keep fighting for my son. I don't know how to make it more clear,' Vasquez told CBS. The teen's mom said that she believed in miracles and was hoping for 'full restoration of every cell in his body.' 'Not the vegetable state that they say,' she told KXAS. The parents spoke out in hopes that other teens across the nation will choose not to participate in the game and school officials can discourage potentially dangerous behavior. 'People need to be aware of games like this, as a teenager, you're not aware if something bad is gonna happen,' the teen's father told CBS. Police departments across the nation have issued public warnings, advising parents to discourage the game. The water guns that teens use can often be mistaken for real guns and the game can get out of control. A GoFundMe to help the teen's parents pay for medical bills was recently set up. The fundraiser has already generated over $21,000. Leal was about to graduate from high school and was a star on his baseball team.
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Yahoo
Texas high school senior critically injured while playing 'Senior Assassin' game, mother says
A 17-year-old Texas high school senior is hospitalized with critical injuries after he fell from the back of a Jeep while playing the game 'Senior Assassin,' his mother said. Raquel Vazquez told NBC Dallas-Fort Worth that her son, Isaac Leal, fell from the vehicle after she believes it hit a bump in the road. 'They were playing 'Senior Assassin.' He jumped on a young girl's Jeep as it was parked,' she said. Vazquez claimed the girl reversed and then 'drove for five minutes at a high speed to where he could not jump off.' The vehicle hit a dip, causing Leal to fall and hit his head, his mother told the news station. The incident, which happened on April 20 in Arlington, was partly caught on cell phone and security video, NBC Dallas-Fort Worth reported. Police across the country have warned about the dangers of the game, where players try to 'assassinate' their target, another student, by squirting them with a water gun. Last month, the Claremore Police Department in Oklahoma warned that water guns can be mistaken for real weapons and hiding from your 'assassin' could 'lead to dangerous misunderstandings' with police and residents. The department also said that 'trespassing and unsafe driving' have been reported as part of the game. 'While it may appear harmless on the surface, this game poses very real dangers to both students and the public,' the department said in a Facebook post. The Sylvania Police Department in Ohio said in an April 18 Facebook post that it had received multiple calls from concerned citizens who mistook the game for a real threat. The department said students who play the game have disguised the toy guys 'to appear more realistic' and have taken them onto private property and public roadways. 'Officers are dispatched to these incidents as 'weapons calls' and respond accordingly,' the department said. It called for an 'immediate cessation of these games in public areas' and said that officers had been instructed to criminally charge anyone who engages in dangerous behavior or whose actions prompt a law enforcement call. Arlington police said they were made aware of Leal's accident over the weekend and are investigating the incident 'to determine whether a criminal offense occurred.' 'In reviewing calls for service from the date the incident occurred, April 20, we learned that EMS responded to the accident site for what was described as an unconscious person,' the department said in a statement. 'PD, however, was never dispatched, and we were not notified that Mr. Leal's injuries stemmed from a traffic incident until we spoke with his family this past weekend. The APD Traffic Division is leading the investigation. Based on the evidence we have reviewed, it appears Mr. Leal was hanging out the back of the vehicle when the accident occurred.' Leal, a baseball player at the high school, remains hospitalized. 'I have not been able to go home because I can't imagine going home without him,' his mother said. This article was originally published on
NBC News
08-05-2025
- NBC News
Texas high school senior critically injured while playing 'Senior Assassin' game, mother says
A 17-year-old Texas high school senior is hospitalized with critical injuries after he fell from the back of a Jeep while playing the game 'Senior Assassin,' his mother said. Raquel Vazquez told NBC Dallas-Fort Worth that her son, Isaac Leal, fell from the vehicle after she believes it hit a bump in the road. 'They were playing 'Senior Assassin.' He jumped on a young girl's Jeep as it was parked,' she said. Vazquez claimed the girl reversed and then 'drove for five minutes at a high speed to where he could not jump off.' The vehicle hit a dip, causing Leal to fall and hit his head, his mother told the news station. The incident, which happened on April 20 in Arlington, was partly caught on cell phone and security video, NBC Dallas-Fort Worth reported. Police across the country have warned about the dangers of the game, where players try to 'assassinate' their target, another student, by squirting them with a water gun. Last month, the Claremore Police Department in Oklahoma warned that water guns can be mistaken for real weapons and hiding from your 'assassin' could 'lead to dangerous misunderstandings' with police and residents. The department also said that 'trespassing and unsafe driving' have been reported as part of the game. 'While it may appear harmless on the surface, this game poses very real dangers to both students and the public,' the department said in a Facebook post. The Sylvania Police Department in Ohio said in an April 18 Facebook post that it had received multiple calls from concerned citizens who mistook the game for a real threat. The department said students who play the game have disguised the toy guys 'to appear more realistic' and have taken them onto private property and public roadways. 'Officers are dispatched to these incidents as 'weapons calls' and respond accordingly,' the department said. It called for an 'immediate cessation of these games in public areas' and said that officers had been instructed to criminally charge anyone who engages in dangerous behavior or whose actions prompt a law enforcement call. Arlington police said they were made aware of Leal's accident over the weekend and are investigating the incident 'to determine whether a criminal offense occurred.' 'In reviewing calls for service from the date the incident occurred, April 20, we learned that EMS responded to the accident site for what was described as an unconscious person,' the department said in a statement. 'PD, however, was never dispatched, and we were not notified that Mr. Leal's injuries stemmed from a traffic incident until we spoke with his family this past weekend. The APD Traffic Division is leading the investigation. Based on the evidence we have reviewed, it appears Mr. Leal was hanging out the back of the vehicle when the accident occurred.' Leal, a baseball player at the high school, remains hospitalized. 'I have not been able to go home because I can't imagine going home without him,' his mother said.
