Latest news with #WoodbridgeHighSchool
Mint
03-07-2025
- Mint
Who was Chrystofer Whyte? Popular TikTok star with 1,00,000 followers killed in New Jersey beach shooting
An 18-year-old TikTok star named Chrystofer Whyte was shot dead on June 12 at Pier Village beach in Long Branch, New Jersey. Police found him with a single gunshot wound around 9 p.m. after reports of gunfire. Two suspects are now in custody: one is an underage teen facing murder charges in juvenile detention, while 18-year-old Dwayne Exilus is charged with helping get the weapon used in the crime. Whyte had over 100,000 TikTok followers under the username @ and had posted two videos earlier that day, including one from the same beach where he was killed just hours later. Whyte's last TikTok showed him relaxing in a beach chair with the caption 'Stay away from ppl that ignore you until they need you," a message now haunting his fans. Before his social media fame, he was a football player and wrestler at Woodbridge High School. His former coach, Joseph LaSala, remembered him as 'an unbelievable kid' who brought 'energy and enthusiasm every day." Friends describe him as deeply loved, with one writing: 'This tragedy has a huge impact on his family... It's my duty to make sure he goes out with a bang.". A GoFundMe for funeral costs has raised over $16,000 from heartbroken supporters. Police haven't shared what sparked the shooting, though witnesses reported a fight on the beach before gunfire erupted. The Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office and Long Branch Police continue investigating why the popular teen, who posted hopeful messages like 'everything will work out' just days earlier, was targeted. The juvenile suspect faces six charges, including murder and weapons offenses, while Exilus is charged with four counts related to illegal gun possession. Authorities urge anyone with information to contact detectives as they piece together this tragedy that cut short a life brimming with potential.
Daily Mirror
03-07-2025
- Daily Mirror
TikTok star murdered on beach just moments after posting last ever video
Chrystofer A. Whyte, who had more than 104,000 followers on the social media platform, was just 18 when he was shot dead on the beach A TikToker was shot dead on a beach with a single bullet just moments after posting his final video. Chrystofer Whyte, who had more than 104,000 followers on the social media platform, was just 18 when he was killed. He had just posted two videos at the coast before dying. In the first video, he could be seen reclining in a chair, as a caption read: 'Stay away from people that ignore you, until they need you.' The second, posted shortly before the fatal shooting, showed Chrystofer relaxing on a blue deck chair in a pair of pink swimming trunks. Chrystofer was pronounced dead at the scene after emergency responders arrived at the beach at Pier Village in Long Branch, New Jersey, in the USA shortly before 9pm on Thursday, June 12. Two suspects have been charged with the alleged shooting, one of them is 18 and the second is a minor. As well as being an influencer, Chrystofer was also a talented athlete. He played American football and wrestled for Woodbridge High School. His former coach, Joseph LaSala, who trained Chrystofer for three seasons, said: 'Chrys was an unbelievable kid. 'He brought energy and enthusiasm every day. He was respectful, focused and a joy to coach. This is heartbreaking.' His close friend Jaiden Roche launched a GoFundMe campaign to help the victim's family with funeral costs. He said: 'This tragedy has a huge impact on his family and friends. 'He was very loved by many and this all still seems like a dream. I'm creating this to help out his family so we can all see our beloved soul Chrys have a beautiful funeral.' According to Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office, the juvenile suspect has been charged with 'murder, conspiracy to commit unlawful possession of a weapon, unlawful possession of a weapon, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, possession of a prohibited weapon and hindering'. The unnamed minor is currently being held in a juvenile detention centre. Dwayne Exilus, 18, faces charges of "second-degree conspiracy to commit unlawful possession of a weapon, second-degree unlawful possession of a weapon, third-degree hindering, and one count of fourth-degree possession of a prohibited weapon'. The investigation into Chrystofer's death is ongoing.
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
London school pupils handed detentions for lateness after TfL change bus routes
A north-east London school stopped giving out detentions to late pupils using public transport after realising changes to bus frequencies were impacting how quickly they could get to class. Students at Woodbridge High School in Woodford Green have complained they were being unfairly punished for lateness due to the buses they take not being reliable. Last year, Transport for London (TfL) reduced the frequency of the W14 from three buses an hour to one an hour, while the W12 had a route change, now diverting away from Walthamstow village. Deputy headteacher Jeremy Clifton has now taken action by writing an open letter seen by TfL telling of how the changes to bus frequencies have negatively impacted his students, the London Standard reports. He said that 'buses are frequently delayed and not running to the published times' and that 'late buses mean that we have 30–50 students waiting for long periods at stops'. Mr Clifton said the buses arrived at the end of the school day too full to pick up more passengers. 'I've witnessed buses just driving straight past, not stopping to pick up kids, literally one behind the other at some times,' Mr Clifton told the publication. He added in the open letter obtained by the Standard that the long wait times mean students end up walking home or battling to get onto the bus, 'raising safety concerns as students panic and push to get on the bus, not wanting to be left behind'. Mr Clifton explains he along with other teachers will often help students board the bus at the end of the day, trying to encourage more students to move down the vehicle, which some avoid out of worry they will miss their stop. He also flags that this is particularly concerning during the dark winter months, when 'personal safety can be compromised' by not being able to use the bus. The services affect students both leaving and arriving at school. The letter also states that the detentions for being late 'impacts our relationship with students as they complain about the bus service and say that we are not being fair by punishing them.' The 2,000-student school now no longer gives out detentions for lateness due to public transport as this has been judged as no longer in the student's control, the news outlet reports. Mr Clifton added that elderly and disabled people have also been affected: 'Without a good bus service, you become detached from your community.' Mr Clifton has called upon TfL to create a dedicated end-of-school service for students and wrote in the letter: 'I strongly urge TfL to reconsider introducing the new buses and to restore the W12 and W14 routes to the previous arrangement, or, at the very least, design a more effective route for each service.' Geoff Hobbs, TfL's director of public transport service planning, told The Independent: 'In September, we made changes to the local bus network that increase service by 10 per cent and took account of previous requests for better access to Whipps Cross hospital. 'The bus changes to W12, W13 and W14 mean these routes now run more frequently to major hubs, making it easier to travel in and around the area. 'Many users on route W12 have seen frequencies doubled and W13 passengers can travel to Leyton without changing. On the new route W14, passengers have a higher frequency at the northern end of the route as well as an evening and Sunday frequency for the first time. '26,500 more people now live within one bus journey of Whipps Cross hospital. Electric buses are being phased in as they arrive from manufacturers.' 'We continue to engage with the local community and have met local residents and their representatives. Our focus now is to improve the reliability of these routes." The Independent has contacted Woodbridge High School for further comment.
