Grieving relatives and friends gathered for the funeral of an 11-year-old boy who died while riding a subway bus on Friday, with the boy's grandmother blaming the school for his tragic death.
Cayden Thompson escaped from Fort Greene Preparatory School on Monday morning before boarding a G train that took his life, his paternal grandmother, Angela Thompson, told The Post exclusively outside the funeral.
“How can he just walk out of school?” she said. “I don't understand. How can a baby just walk out of school? How can they just leave him?”
There was a palpable atmosphere of sadness in the street outside Caden Thompson's funeral, held at a Lower East Side funeral home.
One woman cried and nearly collapsed as the boy's white casket was carried into a hearse. An aunt, who asked not to be named, described Thompson as fearless, charismatic and “very kind.”
Authorities said Kayden was riding the G train entering the Fourth Avenue-Ninth Street station around 10:15 a.m. when he struck his head on a beam beneath the car.
Angela Thompson remembers her grandson as a kind child with a great sense of humor and who always said “thank you.”
Kayden loves skateboarding, biking and scooters, and has recently become passionate about soccer.
His grieving grandmother called the incident “completely insane.” Sixth-grader Kayden was able to walk home from school on Monday morning.
“You saw him at breakfast, but he doesn't go to first period,” she said. “How is that?”
“So what's with no one contacting him? He must have left school around 9:30 or 10 and no one knew what happened to him until after 1. What does that mean?”
City education department officials said the incident is under investigation.
“My heart breaks for the family, friends and loved ones of this young child who was taken from us too soon,” Finance Minister David Banks said in a statement.
“Missing subway rides is a dangerous epidemic in our city and it's not worth the risk. We ask all members of the community to check on young people in their lives and to always remind them to ride indoors. We will be providing additional support to this school over the coming days and weeks.”
