ADAMS COUNTY, Pa. (WHTM) – Jonny Tomasello, a freshman at Bermudian Springs High School in Adams County, took his own life on December 4, 2023. He was only 15 years old.
“Jonny was on the autism spectrum. He had an infectious smile, and he just literally brought joy to everybody. He had a heart for his community. He loved doing community service. He loved sports. He was a singer and an old soul,” said Jonny’s mom, Natalie Tomasello.
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Tomasello says they moved from Cumberland Valley before the kids started school.
“He started in eighth grade over at the Bermudian Springs Middle School. The bullying started right away,” said Tomasello.
Tomasello says Jonny was bullied every day.
“The vicious names that he was called on a daily basis, just for walking into a classroom, being body-checked on the stairs,” said Tomasello.
To raise awareness and honor Jonny, a motorcycle ride was held starting at the Battlefield Harley-Davidson in Gettysburg.
“He loved motorcycles. He thought they were just the coolest thing,” said Tomasello.
Dozens of bikers participated in “Bikers Against Bullying Ride for Jonny.”
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“Not only do our youth today have to contend with the face-to-face bullying and physical assaults that we did back when we were younger, but they’re also now dealing with it online as well. We’re not taking it seriously enough and we need to show grace, love, and compassion to our youth and be examples,” said biker Melissa Cruys.
Tomasello encourages parents to set an example.
“You can tell your child to be kind. You can say all of these things. But if you’re setting an example, even if you don’t even realize they’re watching and you’re being unkind, your kids are seeing that and they’re emulating that,” said Tomasello.
Tomasello ending with this, “Be kind. It costs nothing to be kind.”
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