What Happened in Manhattan, Illinois Brings Community to Its Knees With Grief
"No words can adequately reflect the profound pain our community is feeling."
Published Oct. 22 2025, 11:53 a.m. ET
In small towns, people don’t just live near each other — they live with each other. They show up for spaghetti dinners, football games, and fundraisers. They wave at stop signs and know each other’s birthdays. So, when tragedy strikes a place like Manhattan, Ill., it doesn't just echo — it envelops the whole community.
October 2025 was a month that no one in this close-knit village will forget. In a span of days, two young boys from Manhattan School District 114 lost their lives — leaving an entire town aching under the weight of sorrow. What happened in Manhattan, Illinois brought this close-knit community to its knees as everyone gathered to grieve, pray, and heal.
What happened in Manhattan, Illinois left two families — and a town — devastated beyond words.
On Oct. 16, 2025, 11-year-old Daniel “Danny” Bayles died after experiencing a sudden medical emergency. Danny, a sixth grader at Manhattan Junior High School, was remembered by those who knew him as joyful, creative, and full of warmth. His obituary described him as a boy who loved Roblox, Fortnite, and collecting T13 figurines.
Just days later, on Oct. 20, a 13-year-old eighth grader was struck and killed by a semi-truck while riding his bicycle through downtown Manhattan. The crash occurred around 5:35 p.m. at the intersection of State and East North Streets. According to Manhattan police via NBC Chicago, the boy was found unresponsive beneath the semi-trailer and was later pronounced dead by the Will County Coroner’s Office.
To date, the name of the eighth grader has not been released. An autopsy is pending, and the incident is being investigated by both Manhattan police and Illinois State Police.
The community is rallying behind its grieving families with quiet strength.
In the face of overwhelming loss, the people of Manhattan, Ill., have responded with the kind of unity that only a small town can offer. Ribbons were tied to porches. Front yards became makeshift memorials. Meal trains were organized, and donations poured in. Local churches opened their doors to provide space for reflection, while schools offered counseling and canceled after-school activities to allow time for mourning.
According to Patch, many members of the community have gathered on social media as they struggle to cope with the overwhelming loss.
"May God give the school counselors, teachers, and staff the strength and courage they will need to help their students deal with such a heartbreaking tragedy. It’s hard as adults to process … I can’t imagine junior high emotions going through it. Prayers, strength, and gratitude to all of you!" one community member penned.
Officials within the community, including Manhattan Trustee Justin Young and State Rep. Anthony DeLuca, also took to social media to discuss the heartbreaking deaths of these two boys.
“No words can adequately reflect the profound pain our community is feeling,” State Rep. Anthony DeLuca penned.
Manhattan Trustee Justin Young added, “There is no pain deeper, no words sufficient. As a community, our hearts are broken alongside them — but this loss is deeply personal and painful for these families.”
Everyone chiming in agreed with one simple thing — the role of the community was to offer the two heartbroken families and the grieving loved ones support in any way that they could.
There’s no instruction manual for a community navigating the deaths of two children in the span of a week. But the people of Manhattan, Ill., aren’t leaning on instructions — they’re leaning on each other.