NEW YORK (TNND) — A New York City school bus driver and matron were accused of keeping six nonverbal special education students on a bus for more than four hours while school officials desperately searched for them, according to reports.
Special Commissioner of Investigation Anastasia Coleman told WABC the children ranged in age from 6 to 8.
“They’re nonverbal, so they can’t tell you what happened,” Coleman said, per the media outlet. “One of the children was lying on — lying down and had her diaper off and had urinated.”
Coleman said the bus carrying the children was expected to arrive at P.S. 289 in Brooklyn between 8:20 a.m. and 9 a.m. on Dec. 16, 2025. But, she said, it didn’t show up until 1:25 p.m.
Investigators said the driver, identified as Eric Chery, became lost and went to wrong schools, WABC reported. Officials began calling Consolidated Bus Transit, the company that employs Chery and matron Germina Thomas, at 10 a.m. but received no answer, the outlet noted.
Investigators substantiated failures by both employees and recommended permanently barring them from supervising city students or working for education vendors, per the outlet.
Consolidated Bus Transit said both were placed on administrative leave and cannot operate buses or interact with students while the matter is pending, the outlet noted.