A 6-year-old special needs girl died aboard a New Jersey school bus after the harness that secured her to a wheelchair choked her, according to law enforcement, and the bus aide is now facing charges.
The incident occurred Monday morning as the young girl was on her way to an extended school year program in Franklin Township, said Somerset County Prosecutor John McDonald and the town’s public safety director, Quovella Maeweather.
After the girl boarded the bus around 9 a.m., the wheelchair she was utilizing was secured to the back of the vehicle by the school bus monitor, 27-year-old Amanda Davila. But as the bus was on its route, a series of bumps in the road caused the girl to slump in the wheelchair — making the four-point harness which secured her to the chair to become tight around her neck, preventing her from breathing, the county prosecutor said.
As that was going on, Davila, of New Brunswick, was seated toward the front of the bus and was on her phone with ear buds in both years, according to law enforcement. An investigation found that doing so was a violation of policies and procedures for school bus monitors.
The girl was found unresponsive, and officers who responded to the 911 call performed CPR. She was rushed to a nearby hospital’s intensive care unit, where she was pronounced dead.
Davila was arrested Wednesday, charged with second-degree manslaughter and second-degree child endangerment. Attorney information for Davila was not immediately clear.
Anyone with information regarding the incident is asked to contact the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit at (908) 231-7100 or the Franklin Township Police Department at (732) 873-5533.
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