New Jersey Graduation Becomes Heat Emergency as Dozens Get Sick

A high school graduation that was supposed to be one of the happiest days for families turned into chaos when the brutal heat started dropping people left and right. Nine folks ended up getting rushed to the hospital, while 50 others needed help right there on the spot.

This mess happened Monday at Hinchliffe Stadium in Paterson, which sits about 20 miles from New York City. The graduates were stuck in those cheap folding chairs right on the turf field while their families crammed into bleachers that had basically zero shade protection.

Fire Chief Alex Alicea said his crews couldn't keep up with all the people getting sick from the heat. The temperature hit the upper 90s, but when you throw in that nasty humidity, it felt like 107 degrees out there.

Things Got Even Uglier Later

The second graduation ceremony that afternoon was somehow even worse. A hundred people needed medical help, and seven more got carted off to the hospital in ambulances.