NYPD Arrests Bus Driver After 11-Year-Old Girl Killed in Brooklyn Hit-and-Run Crash
A 62-year-old school bus driver was taken into custody by New York City Police Department (NYPD) officers on Friday, just hours after allegedly striking and killing an 11-year-old girl in a fatal hit-and-run crash. Wawa Aurelus, of East Flatbush, was arrested shortly before 3 p.m. at the intersection of 23rd Avenue and Bath Avenue in Bath Beach.
According to police officials, Aurelus failed to yield to pedestrian Amira Aminova as she walked down the street mere steps from her home. Witnesses described the scene as chaotic after Aurelus fled the scene without stopping or attempting to provide aid to the injured girl.
Aminova was rushed to Maimonides Hospital, where she tragically succumbed to her injuries. First responders and hospital staff confirmed that Aminova's death is being classified as a hit-and-run fatality, with Aurelus allegedly failing to exercise due care and yield to the pedestrian.
The NYPD has charged Aurelus with two counts of failure to yield to a pedestrian and two counts of failure to exercise due care. Aurelus will appear before a judge in Brooklyn Criminal Court on Friday. Despite efforts by police officials to gather more information, Aurelus's attorney is not listed at this time.
This incident serves as a stark reminder of the importance of drivers exercising caution when interacting with pedestrians, especially children, in densely populated urban areas.
A 62-year-old school bus driver was taken into custody by New York City Police Department (NYPD) officers on Friday, just hours after allegedly striking and killing an 11-year-old girl in a fatal hit-and-run crash. Wawa Aurelus, of East Flatbush, was arrested shortly before 3 p.m. at the intersection of 23rd Avenue and Bath Avenue in Bath Beach.
According to police officials, Aurelus failed to yield to pedestrian Amira Aminova as she walked down the street mere steps from her home. Witnesses described the scene as chaotic after Aurelus fled the scene without stopping or attempting to provide aid to the injured girl.
Aminova was rushed to Maimonides Hospital, where she tragically succumbed to her injuries. First responders and hospital staff confirmed that Aminova's death is being classified as a hit-and-run fatality, with Aurelus allegedly failing to exercise due care and yield to the pedestrian.
The NYPD has charged Aurelus with two counts of failure to yield to a pedestrian and two counts of failure to exercise due care. Aurelus will appear before a judge in Brooklyn Criminal Court on Friday. Despite efforts by police officials to gather more information, Aurelus's attorney is not listed at this time.
This incident serves as a stark reminder of the importance of drivers exercising caution when interacting with pedestrians, especially children, in densely populated urban areas.
it's crazy how old you can be and still get caught up in these reckless mistakes. should've just hung up the keys a long time ago... like, what was he thinkin', not stoppin' or even callin' for help after crushin' that kid? it's just so senseless 
and now this poor family has to deal with the trauma of losin' their little girl. maybe if drivers were held more accountable for their actions on the road, places like brooklyn wouldn't have so many accidents 
Driver was just 62 yrs old, still shoulda been careful! 
11 years old, can you imagine? It's not just the driver's fault but also the system that lets this happen 
. It's just common sense, right?
... like, what if aurelus wasn't really driving that bus? maybe he was in on it or something... i mean, think about it, 11-year-old girl just walking down the street and getting killed by some random driver... that's just too much of a coincidence, right? 
what's going on with these people? 
especially when you're driving a big vehicle like a bus 
, it's got more stopping power than most cars so what's the excuse? 
and now this poor girl's family has to deal with grief and loss all because of some reckless driver who didn't care about anyone else but themselves 
.
and now he's behind bars? that's like, crazy! 
i mean we all know accidents can happen but this is just... wow 
they need to be super aware and watch out for each other 
the real victims here are amira's family and friends, they're gonna be hurting for a long time 
And the worst part is that the driver didn't even stop or try to help her. That's so irresponsible. 
It's going to take some time, but I think we'll get there eventually. And when we do, we'll have safer streets for everyone, especially kids like Amira 
. Schools should be teachin' kids how to stay safe around cars, not just tellin' 'em what to do if they get hurt 
.
#BeMoreCaucious #RoadSafetyMatters
I mean, can't they just do a better job of enforcing speed limits already? Like, what's next? A bus driver getting away with murder because they're not careful enough? 
And why is his lawyer not listed yet? Is that a cover-up? 
. I mean, how can someone who's been driving for 11 years not know to yield to a pedestrian? It's basic road safety 101! And what really gets me is that the NYPD is charging him with "failure to exercise due care", but what about all the other drivers out there who are just as reckless? 
Where's the accountability? Shouldn't we be holding our transportation officials and policymakers accountable for creating a safe environment for our citizens?