Parents of teen who died after huffing remind families how dangerous huffing chemicals can be

Jacob Kroll, born and raised in Lincoln, loved to laugh.

“He loved life, he loved comedians, anything that would make someone laugh,” his mom Sandi said.

Then a friend taught him about huffing when he was a teen, which would ultimately lead to his death.

He died in 2008, but the problem continues.

Lincoln Police responded to at least 10 cases of huffing in the last two weeks.

Sandi said it makes her sick to her stomach when she hears something like this.

“This week it’ll be 10 years we lost our son to something so silly, something so preventable that should have never happened,” Sandi Kroll said.

The 19–year–old Southwest High School grad was huffing a chemical inside a plastic bag when he suffocated.

With the increase, and with stories like Jacob’s in mind, the Lincoln Police Department is hoping to raise awareness.

“We want people to know, huffing isn’t a game, it can cause serious physical and mental harm, and even death,” Officer Luke Bonkiewicz with the Lincoln Police Department said.

Huffing is when a person intentionally releases the chemicals from an aerosol can into a confined space and inhales them to get a high.

Nathan Kroll said he’d encourage all parents to talk with their children about huffing.

“We want to spare others of what we went through, because you can’t go back,” He said. “The biggest thing is know what your kids are doing and make sure they know what the dangers are.”

Some of the signs are paint or chemical smells, acting drunk or disoriented and extreme fatigue or illness.

Keep an eye out for aerosol cans laying around. It’s been a trend recently for teens to steal air horns from sporting goods stores and use those.

Listen for the sounds of spraying air or horns coming from confined spaces.

But above all, don’t hesitate to call 911 if you suspect someone has been huffing.

“When LPD responds to a suspected case of huffing our main priority is not law enforcement action, we’re not looking to charge or arrest someone,” Bonkiewicz said. “Our main priority is to save somebody’s life and get them medical treatment.”

Because huffing can go wrong so fast, Sandi Kroll said as she held up a photo of Jacob’s gravestone.