TRIGGER WARNING: This post contains information about suicide, which may be triggering to some.
Jade Smith was just 13 years old when she jumped from the Brooklyn Bridge into the East River in New York City. Her suicide came after a nearly two-year battle with the Administration for Children’s Services. Jade suffered from severe mental health issues and often hallucinated. According to a lawsuit, a 2022 delusion changed Jade’s family’s life in the worst possible way. Jade claimed someone came into her room one night after she went to bed and groped her. She eventually named her stepfather, Richard Nimmo, as the abuser. The accusation led to Jade’s removal from her family’s home and the beginning of their nightmare. Jade’s parents want justice for their daughter.
According to court documents obtained by the New York Post, Jade’s family claimed she often saw a “black figure” following her to school and felt like she was covered in bugs. In July 2022, she alleged her stepfather came into her bedroom and groped her. Jade told the story to multiple people, including a friend whose parents called Administration for Children’s Services, or ACS.
“ACS did not contact Jade’s therapist, psychiatrist, friends, or neighbors. It did not review her medical history,” according to the lawsuit, the Post reported. “It did not even attempt to confirm what medications she was prescribed nor what she discussed with her therapist at an appointment she attended after the alleged incident.”
The agency reportedly removed Jade from her home while accusing Richard Nimmo of abuse. The family alleges caseworkers neglected to look at Jade’s mental health history before taking her claims at face value.
“And thus began the systematic dismantling by ACS of every source of love, security, and comfort in Jade’s young life,” the lawsuit states.
At first, Jade moved in with a grandparent, but the adult could not handle her behavior. The agency then moved her to a different foster home, but according to the lawsuit, caseworkers did not properly document her mental health or runaway attempts. Jade last saw her mother on December 25, 2022.
“As soon as Jade saw her mother, she ran into her arms and told her how much she loved her,” the lawsuit explains.
Two weeks later, Jade ran away from that home and jumped into the East River. Her family claims the ACS “back-dated case notes” in its records and “dramatically escalated its intrusions, seemingly desperate to somehow retroactively justify its actions in separating the family,” the Post reported.
Terri Nimmo claims ACS caused her family to lose their home, their jobs, and their daughter. The family doesn’t think it can ever recover from the pain. In January 2024, one year after Jade’s suicide, an ACS caseworker allegedly showed up at the family’s Brooklyn home in an unannounced visit. While there, the caseworker reportedly asked if Jade was “out for the moment.”
The lawsuit states this “cruel interaction” caused Terri Nimmo to suffer panic attacks for weeks. The caseworker apparently didn’t know that Jade had died a year earlier following a years-long struggle with her mental health. Family claims Jade had Post- Traumatic Stress Disorder, dissociative identity disorder, and depression. She’d attempted suicide several times by the age of 12.
Later in 2024, a family court judge cleared Jade’s parents of any allegations, calling Terri Nimmo “attentive as a parent could have been to Jade’s considerable mental health needs.”
The family is seeking unspecified damages. ACS declined to comment on the case but shared the following statement with the Post.
“The safety and well-being of New York City’s children and youth is our top priority. The loss of Jade Smith is a terrible tragedy. We offer our deepest condolences to the family,” the statement reads.
Mental health care is so important, no matter what a person’s age. Nothing can bring Jade back, but hopefully everyone can learn an important lesson from her story.
Note: If you or any of your loved ones are struggling with suicidal thoughts, you can always reach out to the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by calling 988. They are available 24/7 by phone or online chat.
