School bus driver in Boston accused of skipping inspection before fatal crash
The driver of a Boston school bus that struck and killed a 5-year-old boy in Hyde Park last April was ordered held on $15,000 bail on Thursday, as prosecutors accused him of not properly inspecting the bus before that day's route.
Lens Arthur Joseph , 5, was struck by a Boston Public Schools bus near 107 Washington St. at around 2:44 p.m. on April 28, 2025. The child died at a hospital later that day.
Jean Charles , 39, was the driver of the bus. He had worked for Transdev, the company contracted to run Boston Public Schools buses, since May 2023.
At the time of the crash, he did not have a valid school‑bus driver certificate . He was placed on leave following the crash and later resigned.
Charles faces involuntary manslaughter, reckless motor vehicular homicide and negligent motor vehicle homicide charges following an investigation by the Suffolk County District Attorney's office and Boston police.
During his arraignment in Suffolk County Superior Court on Thursday, prosecutors said Charles did not conduct a required safety inspection of the bus, drove belligerently and struck a postal truck during his route. He then dropped Lens across the street from his home instead of at his designated stop.
"As a trained school bus driver, the defendant had a special responsibility to Lens Joseph and each of the children on the bus that day — deliver them from the door of the school to home safely, pick up and drop off safely," said prosecutor Ursula Knight.
"There is no evidence indicating the defendant did the required pre-trip inspection," Knight said. If he had, she said, he would have noted the bus's broken crossing bar and its flattened rear tire.
Prosecutors also told the court that, based on video from inside the bus, "at no time … did the defendant look to see where Lens was or account for his whereabouts or check his mirrors."
After the child walked in front of the vehicle, "without looking for Lens, checking his mirrors, without assuring that Lens had reached safety, the defendant accelerated," prosecutors said.
"Lens was both under the front and then rear tires," the prosecutor said. Furthermore, Charles continued to drive in the weeks following the fatal crash and ended up in another crash while driving with a suspended license, which she said he left the scene of.
Charles's attorney, Kenneth Anderson, expressed sympathy for the family, calling the incident a "tragic accident." He stated the $15,000 bail amount requested by the prosecution was agreed upon.
The magistrate judge agreed on Charles' bail after he pleaded not guilty and ordered him to turn over his passport and not drive, upon his bail payment and release. His next court date is scheduled for May 11.
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