A 17-year-old senior at Benjamin Franklin High School in Highland Park, identified as Xavier Nungarary, died after falling from a fourth-floor railing on Wednesday following what appears to be an altercation inside his classroom. Video footage shows another student punching Xavier before he flees the scene; moments later, Xavier is seen going over the railing. Police are investigating but have found no evidence of foul play, though they acknowledge online videos circulating about the incident. The school district provided mental health support in response to the tragedy.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-02,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
On September 30, Xavier Nungarary, a 17-year-old senior at Benjamin Franklin High School in Highland Park, California, died after falling from the fourth floor of his school building. The incident occurred around 1 pm while some students were leaving for lunch. According to video footage, Nungarary was involved in a physical altercation with another student inside a classroom before fleeing and jumping over a railing. Witnesses described hearing loud noises as he fell. Despite emergency services rushing him to the hospital, Nungarary was pronounced dead shortly after.
The Los Angeles Police Department has opened an investigation into the incident but determined there was no foul play involved. Video evidence shows another student verbally bullying and physically assaulting Nungarary before he ran out of the classroom and jumped from the building. The identity of the attacker remains unknown, though police are interviewing witnesses and reviewing footage.
School officials have stated that mental health professionals will be available to support students who may need counseling following this tragic event.
Written for “High School Bullying Tragedy” on 2026-10-05,
grounded in this article and the 7 other(s) covering the same event.
A 17-year-old Los Angeles high school student died Wednesday after falling from a fourth-floor railing during the school day, following an apparent confrontation with another student.
The teen’s family identified him on social media as Xavier Nungarary, a senior at Benjamin Franklin High School in Highland Park.
asserted
family → die → Park
Xavier experienced bullying throughout high school but was “hesitant to speak up,” his stepmother told CBS LA, Newsweek reports.
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Newsweek → experience → LA
Videos obtained by the New York Post appear to show the moments leading up to his death.
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Videos → obtain → death
In one video, Xavier is seen inside a classroom, seemingly in a confrontation that a teacher is trying to break up.
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teacher → see → that
Suddenly, another student punches Xavier in the face.
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student → punch → face
Xavier then appears to flee the classroom.
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Xavier → appear → classroom
“Run, n****, run,” the other student can be heard saying.
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student → run → ?
A second video, apparently recorded just seconds later, appears to show Xavier going over a fourth-floor railing.
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Xavier → record → railing
Xavier was taken to a local hospital after the fall, where he was later pronounced dead, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.
uncertain
he → take → Department
Officers responded to the school around 1 p.m. after receiving a report about the death of a male juvenile, an LAPD spokesperson told The Independent Friday.
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spokesperson → respond → Independent
Police are investigating the incident as a death investigation.
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Police → investigate → investigation
Police said there was no evidence of foul play in Xavier’s death, but investigators are aware of the videos circulating online.
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investigators → say → videos
Authorities have not publicly detailed what led to the confrontation or confirmed whether the apparent fight shown in the videos was connected to his death.
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fight → detail → death
Xavier’s grieving family remembered him as a “beautiful, caring, and loving boy” on a GoFundMe page set up after his death to help with funeral costs and more.
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family → grieve → costs
“Losing a child is an unimaginable pain, and this family is now facing the emotional weight of grief while also trying to make arrangements to honor his life,” Xavier’s mother, Lilia Nungaray, wrote on the page.
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mother → lose → page
“Their son was a beautiful, caring, and loving boy who meant so much to the people around him.
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who → mean → him
His passing has left a deep void in the hearts of those who knew and loved him.”
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who → leave → him
Franklin High School remained open Thursday, although some students stayed home.
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students → remain → ?
Eleo Rolon, a parent whose daughter knew Xavier, told NBC Los Angeles that her child was one of them.
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child → know → them
“You think that being at school, they're safe,” Rolon told the outlet.
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Rolon → think → outlet
“She told me he was a really nice kid.
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he → tell → me
The Los Angeles Unified School District said mental health professionals and grief counselors were available on campus to support students and staff following the death.
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professionals → say → death
Students also held a vigil Thursday for Xavier.
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Students → hold → Xavier
Los Angeles Unified is working closely with Franklin High School, providing support and resources to students and staff who may be impacted by this loss,” an LAUSD spokesperson said in a statement to The Independent.
uncertain
spokesperson → work → Independent
“The District crisis team has been in place at the school, providing grief counseling and other mental health support to students and staff.
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team → provide → students
These include individual counseling sessions, classroom visits, and referrals to services for those with more intense needs.
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These → include → needs
They will continue to be onsite through the coming days.
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They → continue → days
Meanwhile, the circumstances surrounding the incident are under investigation by the Los Angeles Police Department,” the spokesperson concluded.
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spokesperson → surround → Department
The Aporia
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