GoFundMe campaign for boy’s funeral surpasses goal

September 19, 2024 Brooklyn Eagle Staff

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FORT GREENE — A GOFUNDME CAMPAIGN FOR THE FAMILY OF THE BOY who was killed Monday while train surfing has surpassed its $5,000 goal in just a week, with 177 donations coming in as of Thursday evening, Sept. 19.

Clemencia Vega organized the GoFundMe for the boy, Cayden Thompson; it reached over $7,800 to cover funeral and other expenses. Thompson was killed on Sept. 16 when his head hit an overhang at the 4th Avenue/9th St. station of the F and G lines. Cynthia McKnight of the NYC Public Schools’ Community Education Council 13 wrote in a note circulating the GoFundMe that Cayden’s grandmother could not otherwise afford to pay for the funeral, which is scheduled for Sept. 20. McKnight paid tribute to Cayden, a 6th grader at Fort Greene Prep who lived with his grandmother at the nearby (NYCHA) Ingersoll Houses.

Cayden’s uncle, Christian Vega, who is near to him in age, told the Daily News that although the grandmother brought him to school that day, he later slipped out unnoticed. Christian, 15, acknowledged being a former train surfer himself and blames himself for Cayden’s death. The Department of Education is investigating how Cayden managed to leave the school without being detected.

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