Mother Recounts Harrowing Experience After 2-Year-Old Daughter Left On School Bus
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- A Queens school bus driver was arrested Thursday morning after a 2-year-old was left alone inside a parked bus, police said.
Samantha Ramos was safely at home Thursday night, but her mother was still talking about what could have been.
"I was terrified. I was crying. I don't wish this on nobody," mother Sandra Ramos told CBS 2's Sean Hennessey.
The ordeal started when little Samantha was picked up by the Anita Bus Company for her daily trip to her daycare center. But Samantha never made it because the driver, Ana Garcia, left her on the bus, and went home, police said.
"I don't know what was going on on her behalf," Sandra Ramos said.
The toddler was spotted sitting in the driver's seat by a passing Con Edison worker, who called police. Shattered glass marked the spot where officers broke into the bus to get to Samantha.
"It does upset me, but I think I'm looking at it in a grateful sense that I have my daughter," Sandra Ramos said.
The bus company said it was just a misunderstanding before hanging up on CBS 2 Thursday night.
At the day care, there was no comment about the driver other than a representative saying: "We're surprised at what happened."
Garcia, who owns Anita Bus Company, was arrested at her Corona, Queens apartment. The 62-year-old was arraigned Thursday on charges of failing to exercise control of a minor and was released on bail. Meanwhile, Sandra Ramos said its possible her toddler fell asleep in the back. However, the bus was supposed to be checked for that very possibility.
"It's scary because it could have been much more worse. Temperatures and everything, I don't even want to imagine that," Sandra Ramos said.
Samantha Ramos will still go to the same daycare, but not with the same bus company.
"I'm not going to utilize them ever again," her mother said.
Sandra Ramos said the bus company did apologize to her, but she still doesn't know why the incident happened. She said she hopes to have that conversation with the driver sometime down the road.
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