Mom of Poly High student killed in stabbing says other teens threatened her sons

The mother of Jacob De La Rosa, a 15-year-old Polytechnic High School student who was stabbed near the campus Friday afternoon, believes that her son’s death stemmed from threats that were made to Jacob’s older brothers.

When Janet De La Rosa went to inform the school about the threats on Oct. 1, she said, she was told the school resource officer was not available but another employee would take her report and give it to the SRO.

The mother told the Star-Telegram on Monday that she didn’t feel her concerns were taken seriously by the school.

She said she showed a school employee messages from “the kid that originally started this whole thing, that he was threatening to come to my house and shoot it up, and that he was sending messages to my son.”

Jacob’s father, Albert De La Rosa also was stabbed during the incident and is recovering at a hospital.

Fort Worth ISD officials said in a statement Monday that the loss of Jacob De La Rosa will be felt deeply and that he was a valued member of the Polytechnic High School community.

“Our hearts are with Jacob’s family, friends, and all who knew and loved him,” a spokesperson for the district said in the statement. “This kind of loss is never easy, and it’s important that we care for one another in the days ahead. Counselors are available on campus today and throughout the week to support students and staff.”

Fort Worth ISD officials said Monday that they wouldn’t comment further about the incident out of respect for the family and the ongoing police investigation.

Janet said she also called Fort Worth police around 4 p.m. on Oct. 1 to report the threats and she waited until 1:30 a.m. and no officers showed up to take her report. Asked at a news conference Monday about what the family said regarding threats, Police Chief Eddie Garcia said that homicide detectives are still investigating all the circumstances surrounding the stabbing.

Police have said that they interviewed a juvenile suspect who claimed to have cut the victims in self-defense during a fight. The suspect has not been detained, and the investigation is in its preliminary stages. Evidence from the investigation will be presented to the Tarrant County Criminal District Attorney’s Office to determine any possible charges.

Janet said on that Monday that her husband is stable after surgery, but he has a long recovery ahead of him.

The day of the incident, Janet said, one of her sons texted the parents to say there were rumors going around that his brother was going to get jumped at the school. Jacob and one older brother were attending Poly High School, while their oldest brother is no longer at the school. Their father drove to a gas station near the school to pick up the two boys. Police have said that the fight started in the gas station parking lot and continued toward Rosedale Street.

Janet said her husband told her that he saw the alleged perpetrators walking around looking for their sons. Albert said that he got out of his truck to tell the boys to leave his sons alone, but before he could say anything, one of the boys punched him in the mouth, and another boy stabbed him.

Janet said that her older son and her husband told her that Jacob got out of the truck to help his dad, and one of the boys stabbed Jacob in the stomach and the heart. Her older son got Jacob back into the truck and told his father they needed to go to the hospital, she said.

“They had already planned this beforehand, that they were going to do something to my kids,” Janet De La Rosa said.

Jacob’s mother said her son was just a freshman in high school who was excited about his future.

In tears and struggling to speak, she said this was a senseless act and Jacob was not involved in gangs or drugs. His death has left their family heartbroken.

“They ripped him from me, took somebody that meant so much to our family, and not only that, now my husband is disabled because of this,” Janet De La Rosa said. “They destroyed my family, and they broke my heart, and now I’m left with broken pieces, trying to pick them up, trying to help my oldest boys and my husband get help.”

She said her older son and husband will have to live the rest of their lives with the image of Jacob dying in their arms.

This story was originally published October 6, 2025 at 6:30 PM.