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The driver had his cellphone snatched by the couple, who were captured by city police moments later, Capt. Eric R. Amato said.
Isaac Jaquez, 28, of Jersey City, and 24-year-old Bayonne resident Elvira L. Salas had boarded the bus with the child in a stroller near the corner of 48th Street and JFK Boulevard, the captain said.
“They showed the driver a photo of a bus pass and were denied access since the photo was not acceptable as proof of a ticket purchase,” Amato said.
An argument turned physical when Salas spat on the driver and Jaquez punched him the face, the captain said.
The driver dropped his phone, which Amato said the couple grabbed before fleeing.
The couple split up, but it didn't take long to find them, he said.
Jaquez ducked into a home in the area and told the owner that he needed help – after which the owner called police, the captain said.
Moments later, officers found Salas and the toddler on 49th Street, he said.
The driver got his phone back. Jaquez and Salas, meanwhile, were variously charged with aggravated assault, burglary, theft and child endangerment.
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