Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Cops Don't Think SI Teen Was Bullied To Death
By
Jen Chung
Published Jan 17, 2012
Modified Jan 17, 2012
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Jen Chung
Published Jan 17, 2012
Modified Jan 17, 2012
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
After a Staten Island teen died from injuries sustained when she stepped in front of a bus, her relatives said that relentless bullying from classmates at New Dorp High School drove her to suicide. But a source close to an investigation into Amanda Cummings' death tells the Post, "No one had any previous signs of her being bullied."
The police have been following up on the family's claims, but the teen had been holding a note. According to the Post, the police have been talking to numerous relatives and friends, "A 15-year-old girl who had been friends with Cummings since the age of 3 told investigators that her friend fell hard for boys and took breakups very badly, sources said. She also said Cummings had recently been drinking and smoking heavily, the sources added... Another classmate, a 15-year-old boy, said Cummings had threatened to kill herself in the fall after a brief hookup ended, sources said."
The Post's sources also claim that Cummings had attempted suicide previously and, in her suicide note to a romantic interest who was involved with another girl, did not indicate she was being harassed.
Still, Cummings' family feels very strongly that she died because of other toxic teens. Her mother wrote on Amanda's Facebook page, "This is to all you evil son of a bitches that picked on, talked about and threatened my baby. I HOPE YOU DIE and I HOPE YOU SUFFER." State Senator Jeff Klein has also introduced legislation to create stiffer penalties for cyberbullies.
Tagged
amanda cummings
bullying
cyberbully
nypd
staten island
suicide
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Rain could put a damper on NYC’s long weekend. Here’s when it will clear.
Remnants of Hurricane Isaias could bring more than an inch of rain, gusty winds and even a thunderstorm Sunday before conditions improve Monday.
By
Brittany Kriegstein
Published Oct 10, 2026 at 10:57 a.m. ET
Holy civics! NYC schools' own comic books in the spotlight at Comic Con
Comic Con continues through Sunday.
By
Jessica Gould
News
Holy civics! NYC schools' own comic books in the spotlight at Comic Con
Comic Con continues through Sunday.
By
Jessica Gould
What we know about the ICE shooting in NYC
By
Karen Yi
DSA to Mamdani: Fire NYPD commissioner if ICE doesn't leave NYC
By
Elizabeth Kim
,
Brigid Bergin
and
Ben Feuerherd
Two people killed in Bronx vehicle crash
By
Kaya Laterman
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .