A New York teen recently jumped from a bridge, taking his own life.
Community members are coming forward and stating it is another case of severe bullying. They want the truth out there.
This is a very emotional story. It needs told and it needs more eyes on it.
I interviewed a community member associated with the unsuccessful and frantic rescue attempt of the teen. The person I interviewed lives in Oswego County, New York.
14-year-old Jomuel Rodriguez Fuentes sadly jumped from the Utica Street Bridge into the Oswego River at 12:10 a.m. on Monday, May 17th. Police received a call in reference to an individual jumping from the dangerous bridge and law enforcement responded in mere minutes.
As officers and firemen arrived on scene, they were able to see Fuentes in the water. This was a very emotional moment; they were elated that they actually spotted the teen in the dark waters. Rescuers quickly threw a life ring and rope to Jomuel. He was able to grasp onto the rope. Sadly, in a heartbreaking twist... he lost his grasp and was pulled under water by a powerful current. He went under before the fire department could reach him with the rescue boat. They still searched, but to no avail.
Jomuel's body was recovered from Lake Ontario on May 26th. Now in the wake of this tragic death many have taken to social media demanding the bullying problem in the area to stop. A very close person to Jomuel asserted that Jomuel's death was a direct result of him being bullied for hanging out with the "weird kids". Everyone that knew the 14-year-old teen has come forward and stated how gentle and kind Jomuel was and also how he treated everyone he met with respect.
Sadly, the individual who reached out to us informed us that the teen's family are being harassed online. Jomuel's sister has posted that they do not appreciate people posting lies online and they are devastated with the loss of their young loved one.
Officials have not stated that this is bully related, however the teen's friends have stated that. Parents of the teens classmates are also commenting and posting that he was bullied horribly.
I discovered that 3 area mothers have been forced to obtain lawyers in the past few months to try to rectify the bullying problems in an Oswego County school. It appears there is a problem with bullying.
Our heart goes out to the family and we hope this community sees the change they are demanding. The individual we interviewed stated that not only Oswego County but the entire country needs to look deeper into bullying and try to find a resolution for the victims before it comes to this type of ending.
Rest in peace, Jomuel.
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