NEW YORK (1010 WINS) – A 6-year-old boy was struck and killed by a yellow school bus in Williamsburg on Wednesday morning, police said.
The child was trying to get on the bus with his 9-year-old brother around 8:28 a.m. but was struck by the bus as it drove away, according to police, who said at a press conference that the information was preliminary.
He was later identified by police as 6-year-old Shimon Fried of Brooklyn.
The 9-year-old brother had already boarded the bus and was not injured.
An MTA bus driver found the 6-year-old lying on S. 5th Street, near Hooper Street, several minutes later, police said.
The MTA bus driver called his dispatcher, who called 911 around 8:35 a.m. EMS responded and pronounced the child dead at the scene, police said.
Citizen App video shows a heavy police presence at the intersection around 9 a.m.
Police said the school bus driver was apprehended at Bedford & Hewes and was taken into custody for questioning before reaching the school he was heading to.
Police believe the driver did not know his bus had struck the boy, but an investigation is ongoing. They said the area where the child was struck was believed to be a routine school bus stop.
The driver was being interviewed by detectives from the NYPD's Collision Investigation Squad on Wednesday afternoon.
“It’s devastating,” said Sgt. Robert Denig of the Collision Investigation Squad during a press conference. “It’s always heartbreaking, and when it’s a child, it’s that much more heartbreaking. It’s devastating.”