Lennon Baldwin, 15-Year-Old Allegedly Bullied At School, Commits Suicide (VIDEO)

After Lennon Baldwin, a 15-year-old freshman at Morristown High School in Morristown, N.J., committed suicide last week, police are now investigating whether or not bullying was to blame, CBS New York reports.

“From what I hear, he was being bullied by three people and they robbed him and jumped him and took everything,” student Shannon Ayers told CBS New York.

A memorial service was held this morning at a Morristown church where friends, family and fellow students gathered to remember Lennon, the Star-Ledger reports.

Although the school advised students not to speak with member of the press, junior Danny Perez, 16, told the Star-Ledger Baldwin will be dearly missed for his sense of humor.

"He was always smiling and laughing. He was funny," Perez told the paper. "Everyone's been telling me about how he always made everyone's day."

John Baldwin, Lennon's father, told students at the funeral they should always ask their parents for help with their problems.

"You can't sit there and beat yourself up. It's not going to bring back Lennon," John Baldwin said, according to NBC New York. "The message I want to do for the kids ... there is no problem, whatever you're involved in, nothing, nothing, nothing that you can't go to your parents for. It's unconditional love, every parent has it."

Investigations by the school district and police are ongoing, and a memorial fund has been established in Lennon's name. Information on where to send donation can be found by clicking over to the Morris NewsBee.

Need help? In the U.S., call 1-800-273-8255 for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.

Comments

[Sarah Bigler]

12:50 PM on 11/20/2012

I went to the local middle school in Morristown and Morristown High School for one year each and suffered extreme bullying at both places. I moved from the west coast and was instantly labeled as weird, and incorrectly assumed to be a lesbian. It was nonstop torture for two years of my life, and this was over 10 years ago. This is nothing new in Morristown. I will say they, at the high school, tried to help, and supportive parents tried to help. But they can't be there all the time, and nothing can get through the haze of horrible thoughts you start having about yourself after enduring so much. I definitely considered this option. It's heartbreaking to think this still goes on and could have been me.

[iowastate]

03:36 PM on 10/20/2012

this has always happened but gets more attention now with better media.

in the early 70s in high school we had a few kids commit suicide and nobody knew the reason why. One guy went around one night and said good bye to most of his friends and the next day was gone. Another played Russian Roulette - gun shots from drive by and innocent by standers caught between fights of the gangs who hung out at the drive in and the pizza place.
don't have to have a big city for their to be "action"

[Joanne B]

06:16 PM on 06/22/2012

:-(

[robjh1]

07:27 AM on 05/31/2012

Here we go again. However, this time the bully happens to be African American. What you bet he will be found guilty and given the maximum sentencing. I bet no New Jersey judge will give him a light sentence nor will members of GLAAD come out in support of the culprit, as was done for Dharun Ravi. Ok media you can play the race card now.

[Timothy Inocencio]

07:31 AM on 06/21/2012

1) where in this story does it say the guy was gay? 2) dharun ravi's case was under entirely different circumstances

[robjh1]

08:24 AM on 06/21/2012

He was bullied because he was thought to be gay.

[MileHighJoe]

06:10 PM on 03/18/2013

You were so, so, so wrong.

[ipleathe5thh]

03:07 PM on 04/24/2012

There is a song all bullies need to hear by Mark Wills "Don't Laugh At Me"

[seriously77]

12:19 PM on 04/24/2012

Bullying victims need to be able and allowed to defend themselves. Unfortunately, they can't. I know at my kids' school, anyone who gets in a physical altercation will be punished. I'm sorry but that's just stupid. Usually a fight starts by one person picking on another. When it turns physical, the bully is usually the one throwing the first punch..... and the victim, whether he/she fights back or not, also gets punished. That's just ridiculous! What ever happened to self defense?

[hugs67]

03:29 AM on 04/24/2012

NJ recently adopted the toughest anti-bullying legislation in the nation. All students in the Morris School District (where Lennon was a student) were given copies of the very strict guidelines regarding bullying this past fall. I have found that Morristown High as well as the middle school and the elementary school have always taken swift action when I have had to bring bullying to their attention regarding my child. I can not speak for the situation regarding Lennon, and I am finding it considerably presumptuous that so many people seem to feel a need to point the finger at the school, or at Lennon's family or even at Lennon. Very little information regarding the case has been made public. For people to be placing blame without having the facts is, to me, unfair to The Baldwin family. The last thing they need to contend with is rampant speculation.

[rewith85man]

08:16 PM on 04/22/2012

Another innocent kid dead and gone thanks or no thanks to bullies and careless people.

[atlblackops]

01:13 PM on 04/09/2012

I grew up in the Bronx. I frequently remembered getting bullied; bigger kids taking my snacks from me, calling me names, trying to start fights with me. I eventually learned how to live in my neighborhood. I developed social skills, confidence, and strong encouragement from my parents. I never had the desire to take my own life.

Suicide is a mental illness/condition. Situations in a person's life can trigger this ultimate act of self hatred. It's not the fault of the bully, but the fault of the individual and their parents.

People need to stop hijacking an issue to "covertly" forward their own.

[stroobs]

06:32 AM on 05/01/2012

Nice. Blame the victim.

[Joanne B]

06:46 PM on 06/22/2012

I kinda agree, I remember relentless taunting and teasing growing up as did alot of other kids I know..that was in the 70's and it has been going on alot longer that that..most ppl grow up and out of this behavior, some ppl can't cope though and commit suicide but I think they have other issues that push them over the edge...but in any event very sad that some kids find that to be their out, my heart is with them and thier families..and to this poor kid here :-(

[laidback lib]

09:55 PM on 04/08/2012

Upper middle class citizens with less melanin in their dermis have been 'bullying' others for generations in gentile society. It should be mandatory that their offspring should be lifted from their homes and sent to federal re-education camps. Then they should spend a year running soup kitchens in the inner city. They will possibly make a lot more diverse friends and know what suffering is.

[Sajwert]

09:17 AM on 04/08/2012

In the world that is being created today with instant everything needed to raise bullying to a new height, every parent and every school authority should become aware and monitor whatever kids are doing far more closely. We have made a fetish of privacy to the point that we actually believe putting limits on much of what our children do, the people they see and talk with is taking away their "freedom."

We have made a fetish of privacy and "rights" to the point that we have tied the hands of school authorities to require that students give up their telephones and such at the door as they enter class, with the pretense that they might get an emergency call from a parent. As if the darn phone won't ring in the box.

Furthermore, authorities and parents need to keep aware of what their kids do online, and if that is another abuse of "rights and freedom" why do we bother having authorities and parents?

[keater26]

07:54 PM on 04/06/2012

I am 22, a teacher, recent college graduate, and went to middle and high school as texting, instant messaging and social media was becoming big. The problem is not simply the school or the family or society but a combination of so many things. Having a supportive family is key but that cannot fix some of the absolute torture (and it is at this extreme level for some kids) that students face at the hands of bullies. Also because of electronic communication, many times schools do not know that it is even happening because, sadly, "snitches get stitches" attitudes exist and many times the kids may be on to something. I am not advocating for this, but being realistic a kid who "tattles" opens himself up to worse tormenting. Before social media, and texting, bullying was confined to what could be said face to face but now it is constant, 24/7 access as kids are bombarded during school, via text, and by Facebook comment. To add to this, bullies are taking videos and posting them on Facebook for everyone to see and comment on and re-watch for days to come. My generation may have it so much "easier" as far as the internet goes, but technology comes with a price. I lived it. Kids today are living it even worse with all the smartphones,wireless devices that allow you to be online anytime anywhere.

[xxspifferificxx]

12:52 PM on 05/09/2012

Very well said. Kudos and thank you!

[Joanne B]

07:07 PM on 06/22/2012

you are so right Keater26..and that's why I'm sooooooo glad I grew up in the 70's when things were alot more simple..I avioided cell phones & the computer as long as I could but alas, here I am and thinking just what you wrote, As a Teacher you see exactly how things are nowadays...noble profession by the way "-) anyway as I said glad I grew up when I did..technology is NOT always a good thing :0

[keater26]

07:39 AM on 06/23/2012

It's really not. I'm 23 so I was caught up in the whole smarthphone/internet craze but I still remember playing outside as a kid (this NEVER happens now without careful planning and it's sad). I admit I have an iPhone and I love my computer but I feel like learning face to face interactions before having access to internet was so crucial and my students did not have this and its so sad to see how they lack the ability to interact socially and it's not intentional, it's just crazy how much different of a childhood they had from me in just ten years 

[pjordan]

01:05 PM on 04/06/2012

and in other news....religious groups are protesting laws against bullying saying it violates their religious freedom. Stunning!!!!

[Peter Guerin]

08:52 PM on 04/04/2012

How many more kids like Lennon Baldwin have to die before people wake up and realize that bullying is evil no matter what the reason?

I was bullied mercilessly in the 1970s and 1980s due to having ADHD, and all the teachers told me back then was "Just ignore the bullies and they'll go away". THAT NEVER WORKED! All they did was to come back and do even worse things to me.

As much as people have high hopes for President Obama's and Cartoon Network's anti-bullying campaigns, they will fail because the bullies will just wait until there's no adults around to tell to and do their work, and there's the code of "snitches get stitches"--if you rat on the bullies to the teachers and the principal, you'll get it just as bad, if not worse.

In the end I wound up having to fight back against my tormentors, even if that meant being sent to the principal's office. We need to decriminalize a studen's God-given right to fight back when there's no adults around. One swift punch upside a bully's thick, steel-plated skull will quickly send the message that you want to be left alone.

I've written a poem that I hope will give hope to others. Please read it: http://docforbin.bravehost.com/Triumph%20of%20the%20Bullied.txt

I just hope that those who tormented Lennon Baldwin to the point of taking his life will be held accountable for their actions.

Justice for Lennon Baldwin!

[stephen morgan]

06:22 PM on 04/04/2012

I think the trouble with suicide is it seems like it's the better person who ends up dying.

[bullyproofkids]

09:25 PM on 04/04/2012

touché. i think you are right, stephen morgan. Sadly.