Syles Ular, 13, is pictured as family mourns his stabbing death on an MTA train in Staten Island
A 13-year-old schoolboy who was fatally stabbed on a bus in Staten Island Friday has been identified - while a 14-year-old fellow student has been charged with his murder.
The incident occurred just before 2:30pm on a MTA bus on Hylan Boulevard, and culminated with a retired cop nabbing the suspect minutes after middle schooler Syles Ular was stabbed in the chest, NYC police said in a statement.
Mortally wounded, the victim - who lived in the borough's Park Hill neighborhood - reportedly stumbled to the front of the bus grasping his stomach, pleading to the driver about how he was having difficulty breathing.
Witnesses said the IS 7 student then walked to the back of the bus before collapsing to the floor, while the suspect fled and ran several blocks while tossing the murder weapon.
NYPD Chief of Patrol John Chell told reporters Friday night, a retired sergeant happened to be on the scene - and began following the boy. He started the chase at the behest of a bus rider who witnessed the attack, Chell said.
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The schoolboy who was fatally stabbed on a bus in Staten Island Friday has been identified as 13-year-old Park Hill resident Syles Ular - and a 14-year-old fellow student has been charged with his murder
The incident occurred just before 2:30pm on a MTA bus on Hylan Boulevard, and culminated with a retired cop nabbing the suspect minutes after the middle schooler was stabbed in the chest, police said
That person allegedly told the ex-officer, 'This person just stabbed somebody' - sparking a three-block chase, the top cop said.
Choosing not to name the Good Samaritan - or Ular's alleged killer - Chell called the killing 'tragic,' and spoke about how it was likely gang-related.
'Witnesses state there was an argument on the bus, a knife is produced, and gang signs were being shown back and forth,' he said, days before it was revealed the 14-year-old was not only being charged with Ular's murder, but manslaughter and criminal possession of a weapon as well.
'Three independent people were on-scene helping,' Chell further stated, revealing how the hero retiree apparently did not act alone.
'The retired sergeant started to follow the male who did the stabbing,' he said.
'At this time, another witness points him out as the one who just stabbed somebody and the sergeant affects the arrest.
'Again, tragic, tragic homicide,' he added, as members of the department continued to investigate. 'We believe this motive is gang-related.'
The deceased's friends and family, meanwhile, descended on his apartment building Saturday to erect memorials and light candles in his memory - after cops reportedly rushed him to Staten Island University Hospital where he could not be saved.
Mortally wounded, the victim - who lived in the borough's Park Hill neighborhood - reportedly stumbled to the front of the bus grasping his stomach, pleading to the driver about how he was having difficulty breathing
Witnesses said the IS 7 student then walked to the back of the bus before collapsing to the floor, while the suspect fled and ran several blocks while tossing the murder weapon
NYPD Chief of Patrol John Chell told reporters Friday night, a retired sergeant just happened to be on the scene - and began following the boy. He started the chase at the behest of a bus rider who witnessed the attack, Chell said
That person allegedly told the ex officer, 'This person just stabbed somebody' - sparking a three-block chase during which the murder weapon was tossed. Cops were seen searching for it after stopping traffic on the highly travelled street for more than two hours
Tributes to the fallen teen on the lobby wall ranged from 'Long live Syles,' to messages where mourners recalled their love for the student - who cops said attended the same school as his attacker.
There, Ular’s aunt, 45-year-old Ladrina Sheffield, told The New York Daily News her nephew's death was senseless, while lamenting how 'His life should not have been taken this way.'
'I can’t believe my baby is gone,' she said through tears. 'He was the sweetest kid.'
Remarking at the outflow of reaction seen at the building over the weekend, Syles’ cousin Shay told The News of the victim. 'You see everything. He was very much loved.'
'Everybody knows him around here,' she added as several were seen filing into the lobby to pay their respects. 'They know his family. He used to play basketball, too, with all the kids around the block.'
The deceased's friends and family, meanwhile, descended on his apartment building Saturday to erect memorials and light candles in his memory - after cops reportedly rushed him to Staten Island University Hospital where he could not be saved
There, Ular’s aunt, 45-year-old Ladrina Sheffield, told The New York Daily News her nephew's death was senseless, while lamenting how 'His life should not have been taken this way.'
Since Friday, cops have yet to elaborate on their gang-related claims regarding the stabbing - aside from the already made assertion that a knife was seen and gang signs were flashed back and forth before the stabbing commenced.
A 15-year-old on board the bus recalled to The News: '[The suspect] pulled a knife out of his pocket, grabbed him and stabbed [Ular].
'They were wrestling back and forth. Over and over, he kept stabbing him.'
Other witnesses said they saw Ular’s motionless body lying on the street in front of the bus after the fact - as emergency responders rushed to the scene and cops were filmed searching for the murder weapon.
After the incident, Hylan - the most traveled thoroughfare in Staten Island - was roped off with caution tape in the vicinity of Littlefield Avenue and Groton Street, where the stabbing incident occurred.
It took a full two hours for traffic to resume - just in time for rush hour - as dozens of squad cars and detectives descended on the usually quiet neighborhood, checking under cars, wooded areas, and grates to find the murder weapon.
The stabbing happened around 2:30pm on the S78 bus just as school let out on the Island
The road was cordoned off with crime scene tape following the incident
The attacker got on the S78 bus and began yelling at the other teen before stabbing him in the chest three times
The NYPD's Emergency Service Unit were pictured on scene looking under vehicles in the area as they searched for the weapon.
Crime scene tape was seen stretched across the road following the stabbing
After hearing about the horrific attack, both Borough President Vito Fossella, and Demetrius Crichlow, senior vice president for the New York City Transit Department, issued statements.
Fossella's, issued while the child was believed to still be fighting for his life at a local hospital, read: 'Every parent’s worst nightmare is playing out in real time,”
“This is something that has got to hit everybody in the gut in a real significant way,”
'And there is no room for things like that on Staten Island.'
Crichlow, meanwhile, said he had spoken to the bus driver on duty at the time of assault, revealing he was shaken up.
“It’s absolutely tragic,” the Transit Department official said Friday. 'I spoke to the bus operator. He was visibly broken up, but was able to maintain his calm, notified command and notified the police rapidly.'
As for residents in the relatively affluent area, they exhibited shock that such an incident could take place in their neighborhood.
'Nothing like this ever happens over here,' one told the Staten Island Advance.
The subway official further revealed that the MTA is 'supporting the NYPD in their investigation' with footage from surveillance cameras, stating, 'We had cameras on the bus so we have a good account of what transpired.'
Cops investigation remains ongoing. The suspect, who is not being named due to his age, currently remains in custody - though it it is unclear whether he has retained a lawyer.
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