A 13-year-old boy from Staten Island, New York, took his own life on Thursday after being bullied by classmates at school.
In teenager Daniel Fitzpatrick's tragic suicide note, which was supplied by his parents to The New York Daily News, he claimed that his old friends at Holy Angels Catholic Academy had stopped talking to him and didn't like him.
"I gave up," Daniel, who was scheduled to start at Brooklyn's Xaverian High School in the fall, wrote on lined paper.
"The teachers either they didn't do ANYTHING!" he scrawled in the note.
Daniel's cause of death was hanging and the manner was suicide, New York medical examiner spokesperson Julie Bolcer confirmed to PEOPLE.
Daniel's father, also Daniel Fitzpatrick, posted a video to his Facebook page on Saturday to thank people for their support. In it, he condemns both the boys who allegedly "tormented" his son and the Catholic school that reportedly told him, "You'll be fine… These things will pass" when the teen went to school officials for help.
Holy Angels Catholic Academy has not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment.
"Thank you to all the people out there for your support and condolences, your thoughts and your shares," Daniel says in the Facebook video. "My son's story is now out there for the world to see and for the world to know the pain that he went through. I miss my son very much."
"No parent should have to bury their child. No child should have to go through what my son went through."
"To the parents of the boys that tormented my son, all I have to say is I hope you never have to feel what my family is going through right now. You get to hold your children every night and day for the rest of your lives and their natural lives. I don't get that anymore. Your little monsters took that from me and my wife," he continued.
Daniel's mother, Maureen Fitzpatrick told the Daily News she recalled her son saying he wanted the bullies – who he names in his suicide note – to "know what they did to me and how I feel."
Daniel and Maureen claim the "bullies" mentioned in his note embarrassed him at Holy Angels Catholic Academy – throwing balls at him in gym class and calling him names, according to the Daily News.
"Danny was always left out. He used to come up to me and ask me to get kids to play with him. The other kids would say they thought he was weird," Maureen told the news outlet.
And the parents allege that the school did nothing to prevent or to help the situation.
"He felt like the whole school knew what was going on and was laughing behind his back. They humiliated him," said Maureen.
These days, it seems like kids form in packs and single out a vulnerable victim to bully and emotionally break down. Where did this cruel and predatory behavior come from. It has been a growing problem, especially in the last decade. And so has child suicide. We are obviously responsible for our children's behavior and I would very much like to know where we went wrong. So tragic.
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Schnitzel Haus
Our very close friends Maureen Mahoney Fitzpatrick and Daniel Fitzpatrick just lost their 13 year old son, Daniel Joseph Fitzpatrick, to suicide yesterday. . Danny Jr. Was bullied for a long time and wrote his story about it. His parents asked everyone to get his story out and that's why we want to help accomplish. Please keep them in your thoughts, prayers and pass on his story so that their loss may possibly save another child. Thank You.
" I am writing this letter to tell about my experience in Holy Angels Catholic Academy."
PIC ,
ReplyDeleteHow my heart go out to these parents/family /friends .
This is happening more often than lots of people realize ,Daniel was asking the teachers for help , that's why they are there ... school is suppose to be a home away from home , not so anymore . With 4 kids in school I know how teachers can and will react , that's why there are certified counselors in all schools to help with bullying . Some teachers it seems to me that they are only there for a paycheck .
I am so glad the parents made that statement and went public with Daniel's letter .
A bully , young / old is nothing but a coward . My kids will never go to a Catholic / private school I think most off the teachers there are full of it .
Public schools have better teachers I think and more caring ... I do know they don't walk around with their nose in the air . Like it's raining here , they may drown.
Good post and a much needed one .
Hope you are well .
PIC
He looked like such a great kid didn't he? What a shameful waste of a young life. I hope the teachers of that school live with that stain on their conscience and the parents never let them forget it. I do feel the parents should have been more pro-active. They did not seem to do much for him either. A lot of the responsibility for stopping your child being bullied lies with the parents. The kid did not have enough emotional support at home. They should have been up at that school giving the teachers hell.
ReplyDeleteSo glad to hear your medical test results were all good. You go girl.
Lotsa luv PIC
He do look like a great kid ... who knows , he may have been our next Einstein .
DeleteI do so agree , a lot of the fault falls on the parents , you have to be involve with your kids and let the teachers know you are concern .Don't wait to get a call about your kids , drop in unexpected , you will learn a lot . Many teachers like to see concern parents .
You are right , if a parent pay attention they can tell when something is not up to par .
Thank you , tests went well .
I told Dad that I wasn't worried about my tests ... it was something else .
It was Sally , she had a light stroke , Dad said the doctors is going to put her in rehab . The doctors said she should recover but she can't sit in a chair and eat everything in sight .
Her BP was 190/145 much to high Sally weigh 205 pounds and 5' 5" way to heavy .
Chris told Jessie, Dan was staying with them until Sally come home.The help quit , Sally accused her of going with Dan ... Dan is 78 years old .
Hope everything is as well as can be expected in your neck of the woods .
Lotsa of love back at you
PIC