A 62-year-old school bus driver was taken into custody in Brooklyn on Thursday after allegedly striking and killing an 11-year-old girl. Wawa Aurelus, who lives in East Flatbush, has been charged with two counts of failure to yield to a pedestrian and failure to exercise due care.
According to police, Aurelus struck Amira Aminova at the intersection of 23rd Avenue and Bath Avenue in Bath Beach, leaving her just steps from her home. Despite being involved in a fatal accident, Aurelus did not stay on the scene.
Aminova was rushed to Maimonides Hospital, where she sadly succumbed to her injuries. Authorities say that they were able to apprehend Aurelus shortly after 3 p.m., around the time of the incident.
The NYPD is breathing down Aurelus' neck, and he is set to appear before a judge in Brooklyn Criminal Court on Friday. However, it's worth noting that his attorney information was not immediately available at the time of our report.
This tragic incident has raised questions about the safety measures in place for pedestrians, particularly in areas with high foot traffic like Bath Beach. The NYPD is urging citizens to be vigilant and report any suspicious activity to the authorities.
According to police, Aurelus struck Amira Aminova at the intersection of 23rd Avenue and Bath Avenue in Bath Beach, leaving her just steps from her home. Despite being involved in a fatal accident, Aurelus did not stay on the scene.
Aminova was rushed to Maimonides Hospital, where she sadly succumbed to her injuries. Authorities say that they were able to apprehend Aurelus shortly after 3 p.m., around the time of the incident.
The NYPD is breathing down Aurelus' neck, and he is set to appear before a judge in Brooklyn Criminal Court on Friday. However, it's worth noting that his attorney information was not immediately available at the time of our report.
This tragic incident has raised questions about the safety measures in place for pedestrians, particularly in areas with high foot traffic like Bath Beach. The NYPD is urging citizens to be vigilant and report any suspicious activity to the authorities.
i'm literally shaking right now 
what's going on with these drivers? can't they just watch where they're going for one second? 
like, 11 years old?! that kid was just a kid 
and she's gone 
wawa aurelus needs to take responsibility for his actions 
i mean, I know we all have bad days but this is just crazy 
it's like, how can you not stop at an intersection when there are people around? 
seriously, the NYPD needs to step up their game and make sure these drivers are held accountable 
and what about a better pedestrian safety system in bath beach? 
like, we need some serious changes here 
oh man this is so sad whats going on with buses in NY they always seem so fast I remember when I was little my grandma took me for a ride on the bus her stories were amazing 
anyway what do you think about them putting more cameras at intersections like this do we need to be more careful as pedestrians lol can we even see each other sometimes walking down the street 
what if that bus was moving at a normal speed? would he still have been charged? it seems like it's all about being vigilant with our safety rather than actually taking care of the people on the road. i feel so bad for her family, i wish they could've seen their little girl one more time 
. I hope Aurelus gets the help he needs and that justice is served, but I'm also hoping that this incident sparks some real change in how we handle accidents like this 
that's just basic humanity, right? 
cant even walk down the street without worrying about getting hit by a car 
. And two counts of failure to yield and failure to exercise due care? Come on, that's just harsh 
. The kid was probably just stepping off the curb with her eyes closed anyway 
like, what if there were more crosswalks or speed bumps in that area? 
. I mean, what was goin' through Aurelus' mind? He's supposed to be responsible for keepin' those kids safe on the road, but he just gets in his own way 
. I don't think he should even get a chance to plead his case in court - two counts of failure to yield to a pedestrian and failure to exercise due care should be more than enough for him to face the music 
. [
. Pedestrian safety is super important and we need more cameras and lights in areas like Bath Beach to prevent accidents like this from happening again. It's also super concerning that the bus driver didn't stay on the scene, that's a huge red flag 
her parents must be going through hell right now. i feel bad for wawa aurelus too, but at the same time he made a huge mistake on the road. i wish there were better surveillance cameras around bath beach so it could've prevented this accident. and 1 min after the incident he just left the scene?! what is wrong with some people? 
I feel so bad for her family and everyone in Bath Beach. The police are doing their job and all, but you've gotta wonder what happened behind the scenes here... did the bus driver not see Amira? Was it just a split-second thing? 
It's a scary thought.
I'm not saying this is okay or any of that, but it's actually kinda amazing how much attention is being given to this issue. The NYPD is trying to keep us safe and all that 
.