Family Mourns 7-Year-Old NYC Boy Fatally Pinned Between Van and School Bus

What to Know

A 7-year-old boy was fatally pinned between a van and a school bus in Far Rockaway on Wednesday
The boy was transferring between the van and the school bus when the bus somehow accelerated and hit him, police said
The boy's aunt described him as a straight-A student who was always smiling. She wants to see charges filed against those involved

A 7-year-old boy who was fatally pinned between a van and a school bus was a straight-A student who was always smiling, his aunt said.

Cameron Brown was walking between a red van and a yellow school bus on Gipson Street in Far Rockaway Wednesday afternoon when he was pinned by the van, police said. He was taken to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

His aunt, Maureen Brown, told News 4 her family had hired a private bus company to take Cameron and his sister to and from school.

In recent weeks, the siblings were asked to make a transfer during the ride, getting off the red van and onto the yellow school bus.

Cameron was crossing in front of the van when the driver somehow accelerated, pinning him against the bus, police said Thursday.

Maureen said she and family members were unhappy with the transfer arrangement, and had been planning to find an alternative transportation method soon.

“I tried to switch buses, and I feel like I failed him, because I didn’t [switch] fast enough,” she said.

“He’s like a breath of fresh air. I can’t even explain,” she said. “He’s just a good, humble kid.”

Cameron and his siblings had been living with relatives since their mother was deported to Jamaica a year ago, she said. The family isn’t sure whether she will be allowed to fly in for her son's funeral.