Particle.news
Download on the App Store

Former Boston School Bus Driver Arraigned in 2025 Death of 5-Year-Old

Prosecutors say he skipped required safety checks that could have prevented the crash.

Overview

  • Jean Charles pleaded not guilty in Suffolk Superior Court, and the judge set bail at $15,000.
  • At the hearing, prosecutors said he missed the correct stop, let the children off across the street, and drove forward within seconds without checking his mirrors.
  • Prosecutors also said he skipped a pre-trip inspection that would have flagged a broken front crossing arm and a flat rear-left tire.
  • The April 28, 2025 crash on Washington Street in Hyde Park was captured on the bus’s dashboard camera, according to lawyers for the boy’s family.
  • Transdev says Charles was driving with a lapsed school-bus certification and had four prior minor incidents, as the family pursues a civil suit over alleged negligent training and missing child-safety technology.