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Anne Marie Messiano, 57, of Pearl River, was arrested Thursday afternoon following an investigation into the incident that took place on Saturday, June 30, said Chief William Barbera of the Sheriff's Office.
The incident took place around 5 p.m. on Bus #235 along Route 92, said John Lyon, spokesman for Rockland County Executive Ed Day.
The woman can be seen on a video posted by a user on Facebook yelling what Lyon described as "disgusting racial and ethnic epithets" at passengers on the bus, mixed with obscenities.
At one point, she walked over to the person capturing the incident on video and shoved at the man's cell phone and try to choke him, Barbera said.
The bus driver called county 911 for help and Messiano was escorted off the bus by Orangetown Police officers as she continued to act out in the officer's presence, he added.
Messiano was arrested on the charge of disorderly conduct by the Orangetown Police for her actions outside of the bus immediately after the incident.
The Rockland County Sheriff’s Office was asked to investigate the situation further because the initial incident took place in a county-operated vehicle, Barbera said.
Detectives from the Sheriff’s Office conducted interviews and gathered evidence regarding this incident and Messiano was located and arrested on the new charges of criminal obstruction of breathing and aggravated harassment, he said.
“Actions like these can never be tolerated on one of our county buses," said Rockland County Sheriff Louis Falco. "We are committed to keeping everyone safe."
Messiano was processed and given a return court date of July 19 at 9:30 am in the Town of Orangetown Justice Court.
For Daily Voice's earlier report on the incident, click here.
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