The boys killed by an Amtrak train in Chester were known for making others smile, loved ones say
As a city mourns the deaths of Jahaad Atkinson, 9, and Ahyir Womack, 12, their families cling to memories of the children, known for their sense of humor and friendly nature.
Jahaad Atkinson, 9, was the type of kid who would dress up in a Spiderman costume to get a laugh out of his siblings. He loved to play the online game Roblox and the color red.
Ahyir Womack, 12, had an infectious smile whenever he saw loved ones and he loved a good bit — such as that time he wore a relative’s sneakers that were comically large for him.
“He couldn’t dance to save his life,” said his sister Aihyana Womack, 13, showing a video in which her brother was doing some Carlton Banks-like moves to laughs in the background.
Both boys were killed in Chester on April 29 when southbound Amtrak Train 161 struck them as it made its way through Delaware County on its way to Washington. Few details about the accident have been made public; Amtrak initially said the children were “trespassing” but has not released additional information. With few answers, the city has wrapped itself around the boys’ families, sharing condolences and calling for more resources directed at young people.
“Our school is working on different activities with students outside the regular school hours,” said David Clark Jr., CEO of Chester Community Charter School, where Jahaad was enrolled and Ahyir was a former student. “We recognized that we had to step it up and we are.”
The school said it will help pay for both of the boys’ funerals.
Still, all Johnesha Gordon, 32, can do is bury herself in the memory of her nephew Jahaad, who she said people called Tink, Haad, or Haadi.
“A lot of people gravitated toward Jahaad, even at 9,” said Gordon. “When he came around, you had a smile on your face.”
He marched to the beat of his own drum. For example, Jahaad liked the Los Angeles Chargers football team, which adults joke couldn’t have been easy in Eagles country.
Gordon said Jahaad was the second oldest of four children. Jahaad’s stepbrother Rashad Anderson, 13, said he was often getting calls to come outside and play basketball or an invite to play Fortnite.
Aside from being family-oriented, social butterflies, Jahaad and Ahyir shared a love of bikes.
Ahyir’s friends and relatives say he liked to ride around for hours on end. When he wasn’t on his bike, he loved to play-fight with his friends and family.
“He swore he could beat me,” his uncle Drequon Harmon said with a laugh, recalling how Ahyir would come over to his house and hang out.
Harmon said his nephew “loved life” and was unabashedly himself.
“He was always so hype,” echoed Ahyir’s sister Aihyana. “His smile was everything.”
More than 100 family members, friends, and strangers attended a candlelight vigil at MLK Park on Friday night with the view of the train tracks where the children died within eyesight. Many wore T-shirts that showed the children laughing and making goofy faces. One Chester Community Charter School student carried flowers for her former classmate.
To the muffled sobs, attendees released balloons in honor of the boys. Red balloons peppered the sky.
Staff writer Anthony R. Wood contributed to this article.