A city investigation found failures by a bus driver and matron as parents and school officials struggled to locate the children.
NEW YORK — Six nonverbal special education students ages 6 to 8 arrived at their Brooklyn school more than four hours late after a school bus driver became lost and traveled to incorrect schools, according to findings released by the Special Commissioner of Investigation for the New York City School District.
The students were expected at P.S. 289, the Brower School in Brooklyn, between 8:20 a.m. and 9 a.m. on Dec. 16, 2025. The bus did not arrive until about 1:25 p.m. During much of that period, school officials did not know where the children were. The situation was eventually reported to the New York Police Department as staff and parents tried to locate the bus.
The city watchdog said its investigation substantiated that bus driver Eric Chery and bus matron Germina Thomas, both employees of Consolidated Bus Transit Inc., failed to get the six students to their assigned school until about four hours after their scheduled arrival time. Consolidated Bus Transit is a vendor for the New York City Department of Education. The investigation began after the watchdog received a complaint about the missing school bus in December 2025.
Investigators said a mother of two students had tracking devices inside her children’s backpacks and used them to follow their movements. The devices showed the children traveling through Brooklyn instead of reaching their assigned school. Meanwhile, school employees repeatedly tried to get information from the bus company. At about 10 a.m., school staff contacted Consolidated Bus Transit but received no answer, according to the investigation.
At 11:45 a.m., a dispatcher told school officials that the driver was lost and would arrive within 15 minutes. The bus instead took another hour and 40 minutes to reach P.S. 289. School officials also contacted the Department of Education’s Office of Pupil Transportation as concern about the students increased. The watchdog said the children’s whereabouts had remained unknown to school officials for several hours.
Investigators also reviewed GPS information obtained from the Office of Pupil Transportation. Those records showed the bus was still at one student’s residential address as late as 10:59 a.m. That conflicted with the driver’s statement that all six students had been picked up by 10 a.m. Other reporting on the investigation said the substitute driver told investigators that he went to multiple incorrect schools before receiving the correct destination information.
When the bus reached P.S. 289 at about 1:25 p.m., staff found that one student had urinated on herself during the prolonged trip and had removed her diaper and leggings, according to the watchdog. Investigators said Thomas told them that some students became agitated during the ride while others slept. Because the children were nonverbal, they were not able to explain to school personnel what had happened during the hours they were on the bus.
The investigation also focused on the actions of Thomas, who had worked as a bus matron for nearly 20 years. She acknowledged to investigators that she did not speak with Chery during the incident or try to contact the school, bus depot or anyone else for assistance, according to the watchdog. Special Commissioner Anastasia Coleman called the episode “highly disturbing” and said students with special needs depend on adults responsible for their care to provide safe and reliable transportation.
The watchdog recommended that problem codes be placed with Chery’s and Thomas’ names and that the Department of Education make every effort to prevent either of them from supervising or overseeing city students in the future. Investigators also recommended that the findings be considered if either person seeks future employment with the department or one of its vendors. Consolidated Bus Transit has said both employees were placed on leave and barred from interacting with students while the matter proceeded.
The findings, released Oct. 16, brought renewed attention to transportation problems affecting students who depend on New York City’s school bus system. City officials cited the case as an example of the risks created when routes, communication and supervision fail at the same time. The watchdog’s recommendations now leave the Department of Education and its transportation vendors responsible for determining what additional employment or administrative steps will follow.
Author note: Last updated October 22, 2026.