Cops May Have Missed Chance To Save Abused Harlem Boy : NYPD

HARLEM, NY — Police may have missed a chance to save 10-year-old Ayden Wolfe one day before his death from alleged abuse inside a Harlem apartment, the NYPD commissioner admitted Tuesday.

After a 911 caller reported an unconscious boy, police found Ayden unresponsive in his family's apartment at the St. Nicholas Houses, a NYCHA complex. After paramedics and officers tried to revive him, the boy was rushed to Harlem Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Police have arrested 34-year-old Ryan Cato, the boyfriend of Ayden's mother, and charged him with the boy's murder.

On Tuesday, police commissioner Dermot Shea revealed that officers had responded to the same West 131st Street address on Friday after someone called 911 to report a domestic dispute on the fourth floor.

The caller reported banging and screaming in the hallway and said a child was present, but did not mention an apartment number, Shea said. Officers checked the hallway and listened at doors for a domestic dispute, waiting for about 12 minutes, but heard nothing, Shea said.

After failing to reach the 911 caller, officers left.

It absolutely breaks my heart to see this smiling picture of young Ayden Wolfe & then read about the horror he endured at the hands of his step-father. Covid has brought a lot to reflect on when it comes to the welfare of our children & how the City 1/ https://t.co/Cvd2yk6g7S
— (((Stephen Levin))) (@StephenLevin33) March 9, 2021

"To be clear, the person allegedly responsible for Ayden Wolfe’s death is Ryan Cato, who has been charged with murder in the second degree," Shea said. "Nonetheless, I have directed the Office of the Chief of Department to review the police response on Friday to determine if the officers’ actions were consistent with all department procedures and whether our current procedures need to be revised."

Prosecutors said that Ayden suffered horrific injuries, including broken ribs, widespread bruising and damage to his internal organs, the Daily News reported. Some of the injuries were new, while others were days old, prosecutors said.

Shea did not say whether the officers knocked on doors or spoke to residents on Friday. Before Tuesday, police officials had claimed that they had not received any 911 calls to

Neighborhood rallies for reform

In a rally on Sunday by the violence-prevention group Street Corner Resources, speakers condemned Ayden's death and suggested that community-building measures could prevent more tragedies in the future.

"We need to open every NYCHA center in Harlem and in this city," said Iesha Sekou, the group's CEO, referring to community centers that have been closed to the public during the pandemic.

Meanwhile, a GoFundMe launched Monday seeks to help Ayden's family pay for his funeral.

"Ayden Wolfe was an intelligent, tech savvy, fun, loving boy with dreams of becoming a Youtube Gamer," wrote the organizer. "Ayden was loved immensely by family and his mother. Ayden was her only son, pride and joy."

The fundraiser had raised nearly $5,000 of its $15,000 goal by Tuesday afternoon.