A 13-year-old honor student hurled himself to his death in front of a Queens subway train – possibly because he was despondent over a few less-than-perfect grades, investigators said yesterday.
Jesus Rodrigo Garcia Duque, who was the pride and joy of his close-knit immigrant family, was running an errand for his parents when he detoured into the Grand Avenue station Wednesday night.
Two witnesses and the conductor said they saw him leap off the end of the platform and into the path of a southbound R train. At least four cars passed over him.
“Based on witnesses’ accounts, he jumped and was not pushed,” said Queens District Attorney Richard Brown, who went to the subway station shortly after the incident. “It’s a terribly tragic loss.”
Investigators said they found two school papers in the boy’s knapsack – one marked “needs improvement” and the other, “could do better.”
They theorized that the youngster, a straight-A student who was near the top of his class at IS 5, was driven to suicide by the fear of academic failure.
“The only clue we have is these two low-scoring grades,” said one police source.
The victim’s distraught family, however, angrily rejected the police finding of suicide, insisting he would not take his own life.
“He was the most liked, and he had no pressure on him,” his 21-year-old brother Juan told The Post. “He loved my family too much to do it.”
The victim’s parents – who taught at a high school in Mexico and now teach English as a second language here – had sent him out of the house to buy a carton of milk.
They said that within 20 minutes of the 8:22 p.m. tragedy, police were at their door informing them he had committed suicide.
“To our tearing sorrow, we have to add quick and unprofessional investigations that only increase our sorrow,” Rocio Duque and Miguel Garcia wrote in a letter to friends and family.
“The death of our son deserves a more profound and detailed investigation. Help us find the peace that only the truth will bring to our hearts.”
They urged friends of their “beloved Gogue” to call the Mexican consulate in New York and Brown’s office to demand a new investigation.
“There are witnesses who saw Elvis, and that doesn’t make it true,” the brother said. “It is easier to cover the sun with a finger than the truth with a mountain of lies, and the truth is what we want.”
Esperanza Chacon, director of emergency services for the Tepeyac Association of New York, the immigrants’ organization where the parents teach, said the couple is “destroyed” by their son’s death.
“This is something that is very hard for them to understand,” she said. “They are upset with the police because they feel they made a very quick decision.”
Chacon said the couple, who moved to New York from Mexico City a few years ago, were very close to their youngest son and three older children.
“I see them every day with all their kids, and I am in shock,” she said.
The victim was described as quiet and very bright. He had skipped a grade and had a scholarship to attend a summer camp this year.
“I never met him, but I heard he’s a very nice kid, and from what I’m told, he’s a very fine student,” said IS 5 Principal Steve Katz, who declined comment on whether falling grades were a factor.
“We grieve for his family and those who knew and loved him.”