Tag:

School Bus Safety

Forgotten On The Bus: 4-Year-Old Girl Never Made It To School, NJ Mom Demands Answers Forgotten On The Bus: 4-Year-Old Girl Never Made It To School, NJ Mom Demands Answers
Forgotten On The Bus: 4-Year-Old Girl Never Made It To School, NJ Mom Demands Answers A 4-year-old New Jersey girl was left on a school bus for nearly six hours in what her mother is calling a traumatic and preventable incident. Darielle Lugo said her daughter, Makani, was supposed to arrive at the Bargaintown Preschool in Egg Harbor Township around 9:25 a.m. Tuesday, Dec. 17, after being put on the bus by her father.  But Makani never made it to class. The ordeal came to light when Darielle’s husband arrived at the school around 2:05 p.m. for a class party. After signing in with security, he discovered Makani had been marked absent. “I thought it was a joke…
What Does Guilty Plea By Manager Of NJ Bus Company That Endangered Children Mean For Owner? What Does Guilty Plea By Manager Of NJ Bus Company That Endangered Children Mean For Owner?
What Does Guilty Plea By Manager Of NJ Bus Company That Endangered Children Mean For Owner? UPDATE: The prosecution of two Paterson-based school bus companies accused of risking children's safety by hiring criminals as drivers, operating unsafe buses and other violations has notched its first conviction. Will there be another? Henry Rhodes, 59, admitted in state Superior Court in Newark last week that he lied to school districts about the safety of buses and the credentials of drivers at both companies, New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin said. The goal, authorities said, was to keep lucrative busing contracts in Essex, Hudson, Passaic and Union counties no matter the …
School Bus Company Brothers Charged With Using Criminals, Unlicensed Drivers In Bergen, Passaic School Bus Company Brothers Charged With Using Criminals, Unlicensed Drivers In Bergen, Passaic
School Bus Company Brothers Charged With Using Criminals, Unlicensed Drivers In Bergen, Passaic A River Edge police officer was in for a surprise when he pulled over a school bus driver for running a stop sign earlier this year. The driver for American Star Transportation of Paterson not only didn't have a license -- he had a criminal case pending in court for patronizing a prostitute, authorities said. Two brothers who operate American Star were arrested this week by state authorities who said they employed criminals and people with suspended licenses as drivers and then lied about it. Public school district officials not just in River Edge but also in Mahwah, Franklin Lakes, Paters…
UPDATE: School Bus Crash In Ridgewood Sends Six To Hospital UPDATE: School Bus Crash In Ridgewood Sends Six To Hospital
Update: School Bus Crash In Ridgewood Sends Six To Hospital UPDATE: A multi-vehicle crash in Ridgewood that sent a school bus driver, an 11-year-old special needs student and four other people to the hospital occurred when the driver ran a red light, the village police chief said. The bus was headed north on South Van Dien Avenue when "it apparently went through a red light and was hit by a Mazda CX-9 and a Land Rover" at East Ridgewood Avenue, Police Chief Jacqueline Lutchcke said following the 4 p.m. crash on Monday, Sept. 19. The incident was captured by a dashboard camera on a police cruiser that happened to be in the area, responders at the sc…
NJ: Couple Covered Up Hiring Criminals, Drug Addicts As Drivers For Unsafe School Buses NJ: Couple Covered Up Hiring Criminals, Drug Addicts As Drivers For Unsafe School Buses
NJ: Couple Covered Up Hiring Criminals, Drug Addicts As Drivers For Unsafe School Buses The owners of an Essex County-based school bus company whose driver OD'd and crashed with 12 special-needs kids on board hired criminals and drug addicts, put unsafe vehicles on the road and tried to cover it all up, state authorities charged. Ahmed Mahgoub, 62, and his wife, Faiza Ibrahim, 47, both of East Hanover, knowingly hired drivers for F&A Transportation who “did not hold valid commercial driver’s licenses or required license endorsements, as well as drivers who had criminal histories or were using illegal drugs,” Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal said. The couple doctored vehic…
Newark High School Students Injured In Hit-Run Bus Crash Newark High School Students Injured In Hit-Run Bus Crash
Newark High School Students Injured In Hit-Run Bus Crash Five students and two adults were injured in a hit-and-run school bus crash Saturday afternoon in Newark. The bus from was carrying 13 people including West Side High School students when it was struck at Springfield Avenue and South 11th Street by a black Audi SUV, a Newark police spokeswoman said. The Audi driver fled the scene and seven people reported pain, authorities said. Further details were not released.The incident remains under investigation.
State: Paterson School Bus Company Hired Criminal, Sex Offender Drivers, Ran Unsafe Buses State: Paterson School Bus Company Hired Criminal, Sex Offender Drivers, Ran Unsafe Buses
State: Paterson School Bus Company Hired Criminal, Sex Offender Drivers, Ran Unsafe Buses A Paterson-based school bus company owner from Wayne and his manager hired criminals as drivers – including a registered sex offender – and covered it up, state authorities charged. Shelim Khalique, the 51-year-old owner/operator of A-1 Elegant Tours on Paterson Street, and manager Henry Rhodes, 56, of Paterson, hired drivers without background checks or mandatory drug tests while operating unsafe buses, state Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal said. Personnel files seized last year revealed that A-1 – which has serviced Essex, Hudson, Passaic and Union counties -- employed several drivers w…
Car Sideswipes Paterson School Bus, Three Kids Hospitalized Car Sideswipes Paterson School Bus, Three Kids Hospitalized
Car Sideswipes Paterson School Bus, Three Kids Hospitalized Three Paterson children were hospitalized as a precaution after their school bus was sideswiped Tuesday morning, authorities said. The bus was parked at the corner of Trenton and Florida avenues when a Nissan Altima with a 30-year-old female driver came down the street shortly before 8:30 a.m., Public Safety Director Jerry Speziale said. "She was coming by alongside the bus as another car came in the other direction," Speziale said. "She swerved to avoid the other car and sideswiped the bus." Three grade schoolers of the 22 reported occupants on the bus were taken to St. Joseph's Regional …
School Bus Carrying 17 Students Continues On Route After Long Hill Fender Bender School Bus Carrying 17 Students Continues On Route After Long Hill Fender Bender
School Bus Carrying 17 Students Continues On Route After Long Hill Fender Bender A school bus with 17 students on board continued on its way after being struck in a chain reaction crash Wednesday morning in Long Hill, authorities said. ** UPDATE: A sedan driver was issued a summons for reckless driving following the crash ** No injuries were reported in the 7:10 a.m. incident on Morristown Road, Long Hill police said. The driver, headed to Warren Hills Regional High School, was stopped to pick up a student when the pick-up behind it was hit by another car, Long Hill police said. The bus suffered minimal damage and the driver continued on its way to school with a …