A bullied 14-year-old boy in Surrey, England tragically lost his life this week after laying down on the train tracks at Chertsey railway station.
The teen identified as Sam Connor reportedly handed over his cell phone and backpack to classmates just prior to laying on the tracks and being fatally struck by a train at 4pm on Monday.
It was a moment that scarred all those watching forever.
“Sam was being bullied at school but I don’t know how,” a friend of the family told The Sun. “Lots of children are bullied but it must have been horrendous for him to resort to this.”
School pals who knew Sam best referred to him as “bright and popular,” as well as one of the “nicest and most charming” boys at their local breakdancing club.
One grieving friend penned this heart-wrenching tribute to Facebook along with a photo of Sam with friends from the breakdancing club:
“Cannot not even think of an emotion to describe how I am right now apart from just heartbroken. No parent should ever have to bury their own child. The child should always bury the parents.
The crying with happiness, the laughs, the dancing will never be the same without you. Rest in peace Sam you absolute legend.
Breaking isn’t going to be the same with you gone. Hope you’re still dancing out there in the skies.”
While the school has denied bullying allegations, friends have continued to affirm the torture that Sam experienced at the hands of his peers on school grounds.
“It’s horrible. I have friends who were there and saw the whole thing,” one boy told the Daily Mail, recalling the fateful events of Monday afternoon. “[He]handed his bag and phone to his friends and then lay down on the track in front of the train. Some of the older pupils were really good – they held everyone back and made sure everyone else was safe.”
“They said he was being bullied,” he added. “It’s only four days until school breaks up and you’d have thought he’d be able to get help.”
Sam Connor pictured with his mom Christine and brother James (Facebook)
One local sweet shop worker recounted the horror of little screaming children running into her shop in wake of the tragedy on the train tracks.
“It was so sad. Children were running around crying and screaming,” the worker shared. “One young girl came in the shop in tears and was screaming ‘I’ve seen it all’. We looked out and saw the train on the platform and put two and two together. The kids on the platform didn’t know what to do.”
One train passenger witnessed children dropping one by one to their knees in tears, calling out the boy’s name:
“We saw some of the girls starting to cry; we saw some of the boys leaning down, literally on their knees, calling down between the train and the tracks, calling ‘Sam, Sam’.”
Dozens of mourners have left flower tributes at Chertsey station in honor of the little boy whose life was cruelly cut short.
While a spokesperson for the Salesian school reported “no record” of the bullying and refused to make further comment, headteacher James Kibble says the school is “devastated” by the death of Sam.
“This is an incredibly difficult situation for everyone, but knowing the faith, compassion and strength of our school community, I am confident that we will work together to support one another,” wrote Kibble. “This will start from first thing tomorrow, and will be holding a series of assemblies to talk to the students about what has happened and how we can collectively come to terms with this tragedy.”
“We would ask that our community joins together to remember the student and their family in their prayers at this incredibly sad time.”
Please SHARE Sam’s story to spread awareness about the dangers of bullying, and join us in praying for the Connor family during this unthinkable time.
If you or someone you know is thinking about harming yourself/themselves or attempting suicide, reach out to someone who can help right away. Call the toll-free, 24-hour hotline of the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK to be connected to a trained counselor at a suicide crisis center nearest you.
