Police: New Jersey School Bus Driver Had Beer, Rum Bottle While Driving

BLOOMFIELD, N.J. (CBS 2) -- A school bus driver, on her way to pick up a group of disabled children, was arrested for DWI in Bloomfield.

Police spotted the Hudson Transport bus as it ran a red light and nearly hit another car Thursday afternoon.

They pulled over the driver, and Essex County Sheriff  Armando Fontoura said what they found was "truly frightening."

"It reeked of alcohol, and they immediately noticed there was an open can of beer between her legs as she was driving," Sheriff Fontoura said.

Police said the bus reeked of alcohol and 62-year-old Elizabeth Anaya, of Jersey City, had a half-full can of beer on the seat between her legs and an empty bottle of rum in her jacket pocket.

Police arrested 62-year-old Elizabeth Anaya, of Jersey City, and her blood-alcohol content was nearly twice the legal limit of .08.

"It's fortunate that our officers happened to be at that location and alert and being in the right place at the right time and doing the right thing," Fontoura said. "I don't know what she was thinking, but when you're driving children you know there's a very precious commodity, and I would hope that people would exercise better judgement."

Colleagues at Hudson Transport were equally appalled at the allegations.

"Good employee, you didn't see any of this coming," Anaya's boss at Hudson Transport said. "Never think, in a million years, that something like this would happen. It's very alarming."

"I was shocked," coworker Darren Franklin said. "I couldn't believe it."

Hudson Transport said it fired the driver as soon as it learned of the incident.

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