Bus driver Roberto Isales and matron Ruth Thames were supposed to drop off little Adrien Long at the Infant & Child Learning Center in Prospect Lefferts Gardens yesterday morning. But driving a bus and minding children can be exhausting, so around 7:30 a.m. Isales parked near his Brighton Beach home and retired for a nap. Thames went home, too. But they both forgot one kinda important thing: Adrian was still in the bus, which—to make matters worse—was unlocked.
And there Adrian sat for several hours, crying and soiling his diaper, until finally a guy walking his dog heard him wailing. The Good Samaritan notified a nearby school safety agent, who entered the bus through its unlocked driver-side door. Upon entering, Adrian—who was not strapped in—immediately hugged the agent's leg, the Post reports. And according to the Daily News, Isales was awake by this point and watched the police response from his home with a pair of binoculars. Then the cops called him and he was taken to the 60th Precinct station house. (The matron was also arrested; both face endangering welfare of a child charges.)
Isales's girlfriend tells the News, "He calls me up and says, 'I'm in the police station.' I felt nauseous, like I was going to be sick. I guess Robert didn't double-check. He sounded upset. He's never in trouble. He's sweet and he's kind, and he loves the children." Adrian was frightened but unharmed, but he was taken to Coney Island Hospital as a precaution. "I'm happy my boy is home," his father tells the News. "They are lucky the cops got to them first. [The driver and matron] are responsible." And cue lawsuit in 3...2...
