A New Jersey school bus driver crashed while transporting high school students, prosecutors say. He is accused of being under the influence of alcohol at the time of the collision.
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A bus driver taking high school students to school crashed into the vehicle and then fled, leaving the teenagers alone inside, New Jersey prosecutors say.
He is accused of driving a vehicle while intoxicated hit and run on the morning of Friday, Nov. 4, according to the Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office, which did not specify the substance.
Now, Juan Gonzalez, 51, of Paterson, has been charged with 42 counts of second-degree endangering the welfare of a child, reckless endangerment and leaving the scene of an accident, the office said in a news release.
Prosecutors said Gonzalez was driving high school students to Passaic County Technical Institute in Wayne when he hit a parked car before disappearing.
As a result of the accident, the students were not injured, according to the report.
The Passaic County Sheriff’s Office tracked down and arrested Gonzalez, according to prosecutors.
The investigation into the disaster continues, the report says.
Attorney information for Gonzalez was not immediately available.
If convicted as charged, Gonzalez faces five to 10 years on each count of endangering the welfare of a child and potentially up to 30 days on the DUI count, prosecutors said. He also faces up to 30 days in prison for leaving the scene of an accident.
Patterson is about 20 miles northwest of New York City.
