A tragic incident unfolded on a New York City bus, where 13-year-old Syles Ular was fatally stabbed, allegedly by a 14-year-old in a “possibly gang-related” altercation.
New York City, October 9, 2023 – An incident shook Staten Island and reverberated across New York City, 13-year-old Syles Ular lost his life on a city bus in a horrific stabbing incident. The tragic event occurred on Friday afternoon and is believed to have connections to local gang activity, according to the police.
A 14-year-old boy, whose identity remains undisclosed due to his age, has been arrested and charged with murder, manslaughter, and criminal possession of a weapon in connection with the stabbing. Eyewitnesses on the bus reported that the situation escalated rapidly.
According to an account from a fellow teenager on the bus, Syles was already seated when the 14-year-old boarded the bus. Tensions flared, leading to a heated exchange of words between them. Witnesses stated that gang signs were exchanged between the two, heightening the tension.
Tragically, the situation took a violent turn when the 14-year-old retrieved a knife from his pocket and began stabbing Syles. Eyewitnesses described a gruesome struggle as the two teenagers wrestled, with the older teen repeatedly attacking Syles with the weapon.
Syles’s desperate pleas for help were heard by passengers on the bus. He cried out for someone to call the police and stated that he couldn’t breathe. As the horrifying scene unfolded, Syles moved toward the front of the bus, where he ultimately collapsed next to the bus operator.
The bus driver, visibly distraught, attempted to maintain order on the bus while urgently requesting emergency assistance. The efforts of the bus operator and the quick response of emergency services were tragically in vain, as Syles succumbed to his multiple stab wounds. The incident was described by NYPD Patrol Chief John Chell as a “tragic, tragic homicide.”
Watch live as First Deputy Commissioner Tania Kinsella, NYPDexecutives, & city officials brief the media on several incidents which occurred today. https://t.co/AZMICe1bPn
— NYPD NEWS (@NYPDnews) October 6, 2023
Both Syles and the 14-year-old assailant were middle school students, adding to the shock and sadness surrounding this incident. The tragedy occurred amidst a concerning backdrop of youth-related violence in the city.
On the same day, the police responded to two other incidents involving teenagers and weapons in different parts of the city. In Brooklyn, a 16-year-old female student was shot near a bus stop in what authorities suspect was a gang-related crossfire, sustaining a gunshot wound to her ankle.
In midtown Manhattan, another alarming incident unfolded when a “family associate” reported a 15-year-old student in possession of a gun inside a building shared by Independence High School and Environmental Studies High School. During the subsequent search, the police confiscated the student’s firearm, as well as another gun and an imitation gun from two other students.
In New York, the legal system allows for children as young as 13 to be charged as “juvenile offenders,” a designation that enables them to be tried much like adults, although their hearings are conducted in youth court. The 14-year-old accused of the fatal stabbing of Syles was arrested and charged later in the evening on Friday.
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Syles Ular’s cousin, Shay, remembered him as a “sweet” kid who enjoyed playing basketball in the park and included younger children in his games. As the community mourns the loss of this young life, friends expressed their grief with touching notes scrawled on posters reading “Forever 13!!” and “REST UP.”
