‘A baby is gone:’ Tears, hugs shared at candlelight vigil for 13-year-old Staten Island bus stabbing victim

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Dozens of family, friends and community members gathered in Clifton Monday night for a candlelight vigil celebrating the life of Syles Ular, the 13-year-old boy fatally stabbed aboard an MTA bus in Eltingville Friday afternoon.

Hugs were shared and tears were shed in front 185 Park Hill Ave. as the evening began with a selection of contemporary gospel songs performed by Pastor David Beidel of Urban Hope. A significant police presence mingled among the large, respectful crowd as participants handed out candles and balloons.

While much of the evening was heavy on prayer, several speakers took to the microphone to both offer condolences to Ular’s family and to offer recollections of a young life tragically lost.

“I can’t hug my nephew and tell him I love him. There’s no waking up and calling him. There’s no more making jokes. I haven’t felt anything like this in my life and I don’t wish this on anybody,” said Ular’s uncle, Nolan Emory, the only member of UIar’s family to address the crowd.

“He was a baby who didn’t have a chance to experience life; to get it get wrong or right,’’ Emory said. “Go out of your way to make sure you love your loved ones. Love everybody who’s in your life because you might wake up tomorrow and somebody’s gone. I’m so sad that my nephew is a casualty of the nonsense. A baby is gone because we didn’t do better as a community.”

One pastor told the crowd that while he participated in a prayer session with Ular’s mother, she expressed to him that she “forgives” the 14-year-old alleged killer of her son and “loves” him.

“This is about premature death,” the pastor said. “Syles looked like a baby. What comes over us that we can hate and murder each other?” he asked.