Former Boston school bus driver accused of running over and killing 5-year-old free on $15,000 bail
A former Boston school bus driver accused of running over and killing 5-year-old Lens Arthur Joseph last year was released on $15,000 bail Thursday.
Jean Charles, 39, of Brockton, pleaded not guilty to charges of involuntary manslaughter, reckless motor vehicular homicide and negligent motor vehicle homicide at his arraignment in Suffolk Superior Court.
Prosecutors said Charles hit Joseph with his school bus moments after the boy was dropped off and attempting to cross the street in Hyde Park on April 28, 2025. Joseph was a kindergarten student at the UP Academy Charter School.
"Lens got off that bus that day with the same expectation that any child, to get off safely and to get home to their family, but he didn't get home safely that day for the reasons you just heard in court earlier. It is the reckless actions have opened an unfillable hole in the hearts of everyone who knew Lens and who loved him," Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden said outside court.
Befofe posting bail, Charles was ordered not to drive and to turn in his passport. He's due back in court on May 11.
His attorney Kenneth Anderson said that they view the case as a "tragic accident."
"Our hearts go out to the family of Lens Arthur Joseph. We can't imagine the loss they're going through. We can't fathom that. There's no winners in this case," Anderson said.
During the arraignment, the prosecution outlined a series of incidents leading up to Joseph's death. They accused Charles of failing to conduct a pre-trip inspection that would have revealed the bus's safety crossing bar was broken and the left rear tire was flat. They also said that Charles did not stop at a stop sign and did not drop Joseph off at his designated bus stop. Transdev, the bus company, had previously said that Charles missed the turn onto Joseph's street.
Hayden said that Charles failed to execute proper safety protocols while Joseph crossed the street.
"Waiting only a few seconds, and without accounting for Lens's whereabouts, Charles drove away and immediately ran over the child, causing his death," Hayden said in a statement.
One witness explained that they had seen Charles acting belligerently and annoyed at the children on the bus. They also accused him of hitting a mail truck. Transdev has previously said that Charles hit a car on the day of Joseph's death and failed to report it to the company, which would have caused him to be replaced.
The prosecution said that Charles had also been involved in a hit-and-run last August, months after Joseph's death.
An independent investigation was opened and the city conducted a review of Boston school bus safety in the months following the April crash. Transdev also revealed that Charles had an expired school bus certificate at the time. Charles was an employee of Transdev, the contracting company that manages trains, buses and hires drivers. He had been with the company since May 2023 and was scheduled to be at a due process hearing following Joseph's death, but resigned before it started.
Joseph's family is suing both Transdev and Charles.
