LA CRESCENTA, Calif. — During a busy lunch break on Friday, where hundreds of students milled about at Crescenta Valley High School, sophomore Drew Ferraro, 15, took a running start and leaped off a three-story classroom building into the courtyard below, ending his life.
A spokesperson for the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said that Sheriff’s detectives were looking for a note while Glendale Unified Schools spokesperson Steven Frasher told the media; “There’s no indication, whatsoever, that bullying played into this scenario.”
Drew Ferraro
In fact, according to Frasher, last week the district held a student assembly on ways to cope with bullies. Glendale Unified Supt. Dick Sheehan told reporters, “As a district, we take bullying very seriously.”
But that’s not what Drew’s friends and others are saying.
In a series of interviews with CBS News, the young man’s friends maintain that he was bullied to the point that he was in despair, telling one, he didn’t want to go to school any longer.
Olin Tellefsen told CBS Los Angeles that he was a close friend of Ferraro’s. He said Ferraro was a bright kid, who played football and loved heavy metal. He added that Ferraro was taunted by other male students. Last year, Ferraro was involved in a fight with several boys that upset him, but Tellefsen didn’t know how much that fight might have affected him.
“He always seemed like he had something on his mind but it was never…never indicative of anything like this,” Tellefsen said at a candlelight vigil last night.
Another friend who actually saw him jump said that the bullying got to Ferraro badly enough that he didn’t want to go to school. Meghan Dorosy told CBS Los Angeles, “He definitely was bullied, and he didn’t want to go to school. I know how it feels because I was bullied and I didn’t want to go to school.”
Now, there’s been absolutely no mention of Drew’s sexual orientation thus far, in fact, details are sketchy at this point as to why an apparently bright yet quiet young man was driven to such a tragic act.
A classmate wrote of Drew:
The last thing you expect when you come out of class is to see someone laying there, someone who took his life just seconds before. I could see him there. but I couldn’t believe it. While everyone was panicking and telling each other what happened, I kept thinking that he just tripped or fainted.
But then you could see the blood near his head and instantly, you knew he was gone. I don’t know how I feel. I have no idea what drove him to take his own life. Having an anti-bullying assembly a week before didn’t help.
They say suicide is a cry for attention but he did it without any hesitation. Not craving attention just jumping off the roof of the school without anyone around. You can’t say that suicide is the coward’s out. How can you blame someone when they have no desire to live. All it took was that final push. We’ll never know what it was.
You know stuff like this you hear about but never except to happen in your life. Adults were supposed to take control of the situation but seeing even the principal, teachers, and students cry was a horrible sight to see.
Sitting on that field, waiting to be released to our parents, I remembered his innocent face. I remembered those times during practice during the football season we were doing defensive drills. Drew tackled me and the coach gave him praise. I was so jealous that he was good at hitting. Me and Drew being the new guys competed for that corner back spot. He was always quiet but that smirk when he got a good hit would even make me smile.
I’m not sure what to say. There are things we could learn from this. Treat everyone well because you don’t know what they’re going through. I don’t think I would be able to live knowing that I was a reason for someone to take their life. Love more and hate less because life is precious. Life is unpredictable and not a second of it should be wasted. Appreciate everything you have. Friends, family, and everything else you are blessed with. Words hurt, think about what you say before you say them. Something small could have a big impact on another person’s life. Spend time with those you love and constantly remind them that you are thankful to have them in your life. Drew, for you, I’ll become a better person. I’ll try to be nicer and if anyone needs me to listen, I will be here. I’m terribly sorry I couldn’t do that for you. That’s something I regret.
Today was a reality check. Our school lost a fellow falcon and friend. Drew made an impact on the school and the community. I hope those reading this will get something out of this message. From the bottom of my heart, I wish his family, friends, and those affected comfort through this tragedy. You are gone but not forgotten. Rest in paradise Drew Ferraro.
The young man writes eloquently about his friend and expresses pain and loss that will spread beyond this suburban Los Angeles County community. Why? Drew’s death is yet another sad loss for all of us.
Gay, Straight, Pink with Poka-dots, it just doesn’t matter. Simply because the American culture has become toxic for adolescents and in particular, LGBTQ youth. But as members of the HUMAN race, we all bear the responsibility to stop bullying before young people like Drew take their lives because they see no hope.
District officials said they would have grief counselors stationed at the campus for days as the student body struggles to cope with this tragedy. Well that’s nice- how about those same officials take a closer look at the toxic environs that caused the boy to leap off a building BEFORE another child takes his or her life?
As a journalist, I tire of reporting these type of stories.
This is made worse as I have been attending the CPAC function here in Washington this weekend and have had to listen to speaker after speaker rail against this minority group or that gay group, spouting ideology that becomes a veritable petri dish that grows a toxic fungus [message] that will cause kids to see no hope, feel no sense of their being human, and thus see no worthwhile endeavors or reasons for living further.
Which, of course is fueled by bullies whose parents send the message that being different is not okay and somehow less human.
Do I believe that Drew was bullied? Yes, I do. Does it matter if he was Gay or not? No, not one damn bit.
Filed under: Top Stories, Views & Voices
Something needs to be done about this, it’s disheartening that anti-bullying programs aren’t being put strictly in place with a ZERO tolerance policy. RIP Drew :(
Wow this kind of thing is soo sad.. My thoughts go out to him and his family.. Poor kid /:
WTF?!?!?!?!?!
How very sad..this is happening way too often…are parent’s not listening, teacher’s? PAY ATTENTION!!! There are signs I’m sure..May God bless his soul…
:(
OMG..This is so sad…..
Checkout the l project on here this is exactly what they are trying yin help with
Why are people “liking” this post? It’s horrible! That poor boy =[
I feel so sorry for this kid and for everyone who knew him.
Wow. Can’t believe people would make up bullshit like this. It’s like calling the dog standing in front of you a cat.
@Sunny: SERIOUSLY????????????????????????
If they don’t acknowledge it, then they don’t have to deal w/ it.
this was NO ‘accident’ — he was obviously being bullied to want to end his life !!– another very sad loss- r.i.p
I just don’t get these kids at all. I grew up gay in the early 2000s. Yes, high school was a lonely and difficiult place, even if you weren’t gay, but to just casually decide to end your life? I mean i was the King EMO of depression back when i was a teen but i was never dumb enough to actually go through with suicide.
Suicide=bullying? Those columbine kids had it mixed up then…
Whatever the reason was, it’s so very sad :’-<
:’(
When are school districts going to start giving a damn?
So sad.
This is rediculous. Why do kids still bully eachother? What is wrong with the world we live in?
it is hurtful. and bullying is not the only factor, there is also is FAMILY VALUES. In my opinion, it doesnt matter if you are bullied at school as long and you have love and understanding from your family. That will help you grow a huge spirit and defeat any bad things that come to you. The sad part is that those kids see it on the media, tv, news, articles about gay kids killing themselves over bullying and they think “Ok THAT ONE is the only answer!”
NO …. PARENTS LISTEN TO YOUR KID! From both sides, the kids who are bullied and the kids who bully. TEACH THEM TO LOVE AND RESPECT, pay attention to them.
Love your kid, cherish them, let them know they are PERFECT no matter what ANYONE say. I’m sorry, I dont BLAME IT ALL IN BULLYING I also blame it on family love and family values!
Rest is Paradise Drew….Blessed be T-T
Our federal government is tyrannical towards LGBTs that’s problem no.1among other things. Hopefully DOMA will be overturned soon and the Supreme Court will rule that LGBT marriage is a constitutional right.
God bless the chid thats got his own amen
It’s the hip thing to do to blame EVERYTHING on bullying. If it was so bad, why didn’t anyone do anything about it? His friends? Parents? Teachers? If he was really bullied that badly, someone would have stepped up. Someone would have noticed. While it’s always tragic when a young life ends, we never have the whole story. At least 75% of medications that are prescribed to young adults have suicidal tendencies as a side effect, and so do most street drugs. Suicide is the in thing, and it has become so glamorized being all over the media, that these kids just don’t think about what they’re doing. Maybe if they actually had PARENTS who disciplined them and didn’t let them do whatever the hell they pleased, they would understand that there are consequences to their actions, and they would at least think a little bit before they act. Yes kids can be impulsive, but with guidance that can be controlled. It’s all bullying’s fault, because parents don’t want to shoulder responsibility for their lack of action. Kids can be cruel, and yes bullying is wrong, but grow a pair and deal with it. All of us have been bullied at one point or another in our lives, but we don’t go around moping about it or using it as an excuse for everything. We don’t go jumping off buildings. We don’t appear on the evening news. We just carry on. If these kids can’t handle life being hard and people not liking them now, they’re probably better off before they make it into the real world, where things aren’t sugar coated. Suicide is, and always will be, the cowards way out.
ok, that’s it!!! im done. y’all are content being whiney faggot victims just like the stereotype. you perpetuate it with every one of these posts. I AM SORRY!! I AM A PROUD GAY MAN WHO IS ANYTHING BUT A VICTIM. NO ONE can make you take your own life. i dont care WHAT they call you and to blame EVERYTHING on someone else is RIDICULOUS and it CERTAINLY is not the government’s fault! if ANYONE is to blame it is the young man’s parents who did not instill SELF PRIDE in their child!!!
i REFUSE to continue to support this group. Y’all can HAVE IT! go on ahead and whine, piss moan, and cry about how nasty the world is to you, while not having the BALLS to stand up for yourself. NO ONE pushed this kid off of whatever it was he jumped off of and NO ONE forced all the others to kill themselves either. THEY CHOSE THAT!
i KNOW this will be an unpopular post, which is why i am removing myself from this group/page IMMEDIATELY!!!! i will FIRST ask that you PLEASE stop being part of the problem. you are NOT helping the gay community. Just STOP!
I don’t get it… someone jumps to their death, and there’s 55 likes?? WTF?? May God be with his family.
WOW! Sounds like Miss Darryl is a self-hating gay cretin! Seek professional help to get over your anger problem, Miss Darryl. “There are none so blind as those who will not see”. :(
This is crazy!!!! I am a proud gay black man, but I wasn’t always that way! I don’t agree with suicide, but I do know that everyone reacts different! I chose first to hide then chose fight! And as an adult is where I came to terms with myself! These are still children we’re talking about! It’s easy to say it now that we r adults! But we all imo that when we walked those halls we cared what our peers thought and said! It’s about teaching tolerance and that’s it! Ppl get bullied for varying reasons! We should teach the youth that no one deserves to be bullied and ridiculed point blank period! To blame the victim is jus sad!!!
how can we stop all this bullying and when did all the hate start in these kids
omg…. no! not another ~ damn. i am speechless, once again… RIP, sweet Drew…
this has got to stop!!!!
Horrible and grossly unnecessary. When will people stop being cruel to one another?
People are being cruel with these comments…stop the agendas, pray for the family…and stop judging
big bull shit
This is all pissing me off so bad.. Stop it, when you kill yourslef your letting the bully win. I think somehow kids are going with the drama of the I’m bullied thing and killing them selves for the drama of it, teenager crap,. Be strong, Stand up, FIght. I am so sick of hearing about another life being taken like this. so frustrating.
Where are the parent’s in this?
We’ve had way too much suicides in the past 5 months, someone has to put a notice to all the schools about a changing of personality in their students and what’s happening to them, that can give them a warning that the student is in the state of dangering oneself.
very sad… Lord God this stuff has to stop…. In Jesus name..
soo painful …who knows better dn me; but im alive…
they really think it wasn’t bullying, I don’t it.
i know people who knew him, and they said that he hated school and DID get bullied. and i heard he was even taunted when he was about to jump. someone said “you should do a flip when you jump” SO FUCKED UP!! kids are so cruel.
To anyone saying something along the lines of “yes, it’s hard, but I just don’t get kids like this — it was hard for me and I never thought about actually committing suicide!” I say, that’s great for you. It truly is. But what’s rarely spoken of are the ingredients of the whole suicide cocktail: bullying, lack of familial, school, and community support, and the genetic predisposition for mental illness such as bipolar or major depressive disorder. Adding the latter ingredient and not including treatment can make the difference between having a bad day and having your last day, no matter how strong you think you are, or how happy people think you seem.