A New Jersey school bus driver has been charged with child endangerment after a four-year-old special needs student was left alone on a parked school bus for more than two hours earlier this month, authorities announced Monday.
Frank J. Blair, 61, of Hamburg, was charged with second-degree endangering the welfare of a child after allegedly failing to conduct a required check of the vehicle on July 10, according to the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office.
The child, a student at Valley View Elementary School in Towaco, was discovered missing after school staff noticed the student’s absence that morning. When contacted, the child’s parents confirmed the child had boarded the bus earlier that day. The child was later found alone on the bus, which had been parked in a bus yard, unsupervised for approximately two and a half hours.
The student was transported to a local hospital for treatment of an elevated heart rate and low blood pressure.
“It is alleged that the driver did not check the bus pursuant to state statute and company policy,” prosecutors said in a statement.
Blair has been released from custody under conditions that prohibit him from supervising juveniles. The investigation was led by the Montville Police Department and the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office Sex Crimes/Child Endangerment Unit.
The charges stem from violations of New Jersey’s child welfare statute, which mandates safety checks to ensure no children remain on board following transportation.