"Lost His Only Son": Family of Brandon High Student Killed by CSX Train Speaks

BRANDON, Fla. — A tragic incident has left a community in mourning after a Brandon High School student was killed when he was struck by a CSX train. The family of 17-year-old Jamar Bond is now focused on celebrating his life and ensuring his legacy lives on.

Bond was walking to school on a Thursday morning when the accident occurred near Lakewood Drive in Brandon, according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office. His mother, Jewel McMillan, shared her heartbreak with the media, expressing how much she had looked forward to seeing her son grow up and succeed.

“All I know is that he was my baby and he was my only son,” McMillan said. “I was really looking forward to his 18th birthday, him graduating and being successful in life.”

McMillan stood alongside relatives and Pastor Elvis Piggott of Triumph Church of Tampa as the family addressed the public for the first time. Piggott spoke about the impact Bond had on those around him and emphasized the importance of remembering the young man's positive qualities.

“No parent wants to have to ever encounter what could have imagined and so today we stand here with mom. We stand here with this family. We stand with uncles, cousins, grandparents. Just to simply allow the community to know that we have here a phenomenal young man that anticipated with great joy and excitement to graduate high school,” Piggott said.

McMillan recounted the moment she learned of the accident. “I had a deputy come knock on my door and tell me that my son had an accident. I said ‘what type of accident did he have?’ He said he was hit by a train,” she said.

Deputies were called to the railroad tracks around 8:23 a.m. on January 8. Bond was taken to Tampa General Hospital in critical condition and passed away the following day.

According to investigators, Bond was walking along the tracks toward Brandon High School when a train approached from behind. Deputies noted that heavy fog was present in the area at the time, and Bond attempted to jump out of the way. A pair of headphones was found nearby.

“He was a protector. He liked to goof around, make you laugh,” McMillan said. “He loved his sister, he loved me, loved his grandmother, he loved everyone.”

Family members shared that Bond had faced loss at a young age, having lost his father when he was just eight years old. Despite this, Bond's great aunt, Conchita Canty-Jones, described him as a young man with clear goals and aspirations.

“A few weeks prior, my husband gave him a homework assignment that he had to come up with what he wanted to be when he grew up,” Canty-Jones said. “He listed a slew of things that he wanted to do. I think an engineer, he wanted to work in the health field, and he even went a step further by doing [listing] what they do, salary and all those things.”

As the family prepares to lay Bond to rest, they are also focusing on how he will be remembered. “I just want my baby laid to rest,” McMillan said.

Bond’s cousin, Conithia Jones-Jenkins, mentioned that the family is planning to create a foundation in his name to support young people in the community. “The initiative that we would like to do to the foundation, it will be something that we will have more information on in the coming weeks,” she said. “It’s just going to be an initiative for the youth and just to remember him by his legacy.”

The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office is still investigating the incident. Meanwhile, the family has launched a website, jamarbond.org, for the foundation, where upcoming initiatives will be shared in the coming weeks.

Hillsborough County Public Schools has been contacted about counseling services for students and has not yet responded to requests for comment.