An armed man allegedly committed grand theft auto of a New York City bus Thursday morning and ended up crashing it before the NYPD arrested him.
The 44-year-old suspect allegedly flashed a gun and boarded the bus in a Queens neighborhood, ordering all passengers to exit except the driver, whom he told to keep driving. The bus driver eventually jumped out of the bus window after traveling approximately 35 blocks, CNN reported.
Kathy Hochul’s New York: A New York City bus was hijacked at gunpoint; the driver had to jump from the window to escape. #NYGov pic.twitter.com/0iceF3Zkih
— Arthur Schwartz (@ArthurSchwartz) October 27, 2022
After the driver ditched the hostage-like situation, the suspect then jumped over a partition dividing the passenger area of the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) bus from the driver’s seat and reportedly attempted to operate the public transit vehicle to no avail.
Shortly after the bus crashed into a utility pole. Upon exiting the vehicle, NYPD officers arrested the suspect. (RELATED: Utah Man Allegedly Steals Excavator, Digs Up Grocery Store Parking Lot)
The suspect and the MTA bus driver were admitted to local NYC hospitals for minor injuries. Nobody else was seriously injured.
Senior Vice President for the New York City Transit Department of Buses Frank Annicaro noted that the driver is a 21-year veteran of the MTA. (RELATED: Two More People Shoved Onto NYC Subway Tracks. Mayor And Governor Announce Joint Task Force)
NYPD Deputy Chief Jerry O’Sullivan stated that the weapon the suspect allegedly toted was a BB gun, according to CNN.
Maniac brandishing fake gun hijacks NYC bus with driver still inside https://t.co/08rGh2DS8G pic.twitter.com/LCmLKvQJ9u
— New York Post (@nypost) October 27, 2022
O’Sullivan described the suspect as “erratic.” The suspect is expected to face charges which are currently still pending.