Marcus Garvey, the chief of the EMT crew that tried to save Jett Travolta’s life on Friday morning, has come forward, revealing the details of the 16-year-old’s tragic passing in a new interview with Radar Online.
According to the Web site, Garvey arrived on the scene to find Jett unconscious with a hematoma as a doctor performed CPR.
“There was a minimum amount of blood,” he told the site, which he added was consistent with someone who had just had a seizure.
As previously reported on AccessHollywood.com, Jett is thought to have suffered a seizure and hit his head on the bathtub. An autopsy is planned for Monday to determine the exact cause of death.
According to Radar, when Garvey arrived, Jett had no pulse or respiration. His mom, Kelly Preston, reportedly asked, “Is he breathing? Are you helping him? Are you getting him back? Is he coming back?”
Preston and husband John Travolta reportedly joined Jett and the crew in the ambulance, holding their son’s hands and saying, “Come on, Jett.”
Jett was pronounced dead at the hospital. Amid his grief, Travolta took the time to thank the EMT.
“He tapped me on the shoulder and said, ‘Good job, good job,’” Marcus told the site.
Family lawyer Michael Ossi told Access Hollywood on Friday that Jett had a “history of seizures,” and he was known to have suffered from Kawasaki disease. Some reports have questioned whether Jett received the proper medical care, due to possible restrictions on medications thanks to the family’s belief in Scientology, but a source close to the Travolta family denied that to Access on Sunday.
“They structured their lives around taking care of their son,” the source told Access.
“There certainly wasn’t anything about their religious beliefs that would have prevented them from seeking the best possible medical attention and care for Jett,” the source continued. “John and Kelly took no options off the table in terms of taking care of their son, medical or otherwise.”
And Travolta’s corporate and commercial lawyer, Michael McDermott, told Radar on Sunday that Jett had, in fact, formerly used anti-seizure medication.
“They gave him an anti-seizure medication Depakote for over a year,” he told the site. “It extended the seizures out to over 21 days. But ultimately the attacks got closer and closer, they had to give more and more medication, and it started to cause organ damage so they stopped.”
McDermott believed Jett was no longer on the medication at the time of his death, though Jett had round-the-clock care and supervision from two nannies as well as other safety precautions.