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School bus driver in crash that killed child was allegedly involved in hit-and-run months later
Prosecutors alleged that the bus driver failed to conduct a safety inspection and drove recklessly on the afternoon of the crash.
A former Boston school bus driver was arraigned Thursday on charges connected to the death of a 5-year-old boy in Hyde Park.
Jean Charles, 39, of Brockton, appeared in Suffolk Superior Court to face charges of involuntary manslaughter, reckless motor vehicle homicide, and negligent motor vehicle homicide, the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office said in a statement. He pleaded not guilty and was ordered held on an agreed-upon $15,000 bail, according to court records.
Charles was the driver of a Boston Public Schools (BPS) bus that struck and killed Lens Arthur Joseph on the afternoon of April 28, 2025. The sudden crash happened when Joseph got off the bus near 107 Washington St. on his way home from school at UP Academy Dorchester.
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“Lens got off the school bus that day with the same expectation that any child has: to get off safely and to get home to their family,” Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden said outside the courtroom after Charles’ arraignment. “It is the reckless actions of this defendant that have opened an unfillable hole in the hearts of everyone who knew Lens and who loved him.”
Charles was indicted March 4 by a Suffolk County grand jury. Prosecutors alleged that he dropped Joseph and his cousin on the wrong side of the street and failed to make sure they made it across the street safely.
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“Waiting only a few seconds, and without accounting for Lens’s whereabouts, Charles drove away and immediately ran over the child, causing his death,” the DA’s office said in a statement.
Furthermore, months after the fatal crash, Charles allegedly “chose to drive again” and was involved in a hit-and-run, according to Suffolk Assistant District Attorney Ursula Knight. That alleged incident is being dealt with in a separate pending case.
“It was a three-car accident as I understand it, and he left the scene,” Knight said during Thursday’s arraignment.
Records filed in Brockton District Court indicate that the alleged hit-and-run happened Aug. 15, 2025. In that case, Charles has been charged with leaving the scene of personal injury and driving with a suspended license.
The former bus driver allegedly drove away from the Brockton crash before police could arrive, according to a police report obtained by The Boston Globe. Charles reportedly told a witness that he had to leave to drop children off at school.
Another person involved in the crash took a photo of Charles’ car, and police subsequently tracked him down, the Globe reported. However, the police report did not indicate who was at fault in the crash.
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Charles was arraigned Oct. 23, 2025 and pleaded not guilty, according to court filings. He was released later that day on personal recognizance.
Bus driver allegedly neglected safety inspection, drove recklessly
During Thursday’s arraignment, Knight said that the safety crossing bar on the front of the bus was broken and that one of the bus’ rear-left tires was flat and off the rim. Knight alleged that Charles failed to complete a required pre-trip inspection of the bus and would have noticed these issues had he done so.
“Either of these defects, had they been discovered by the defendant in the pre-trip inspection, would have grounded the bus and taken it off the road before it left the bus yard, and another bus would have replaced it,” Knight said.
A witness who saw Charles driving on his afternoon route reported that he appeared to be acting in a “belligerent or annoyed” manner towards the children on the bus, according to Knight. She allegedly saw him hit a postal truck while rounding a corner, stop briefly, and drive away. Charles also allegedly failed to stop at a stop sign and missed several children’s bus stops, including Joseph’s, Knight said.
School bus certificate was expired at time of crash
Transdev, the school district’s transportation contractor, placed Charles on leave immediately after the crash. A few weeks later, he resigned, and officials confirmed that his school bus certificate was expired at the time of the crash.
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Charles had been employed by Transdev since May 2023, and he reportedly neglected the company’s notifications that he needed to renew his certificate. Before he resigned, he was scheduled to appear for a due process hearing.
Police radio call recordings obtained by The Boston Globe revealed that the bus also struck two parked cars in Mattapan just before the crash that killed Joseph. The calls also included evidence that Charles attempted to leave the scene after fatally striking him.
Investigation revealed Charles was involved in prior incidents
These revelations prompted Mayor Michelle Wu and BPS Superintendent Mary Skipper to pursue a safety investigation into the district’s transportation system. Investigators found that Transdev does not centralize its files and was unable to “readily locate and produce certain records” or “maintain accurate and complete training data.”
As part of a separate investigation into the crash that killed Joseph, city officials found that Charles had previously been involved in four minor incidents, including two in the weeks before the crash. Joseph’s family later sued Transdev, claiming that their negligence caused emotional distress.
At Thursday’s arraignment, Charles was ordered to surrender his passport and refrain from driving. His bail was posted, and he is due back in court April 2 for a hearing, according to court records.
Charles’ attorney, Kenneth Anderson, did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday evening.
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