Mother demands justice after autistic son left on hot bus for hours in Brooklyn

EAST NEW YORK, Brooklyn (PIX11) -- A mother's world was turned upside down when she learned her 3-year-old son who is autistic and nonverbal was left alone on a school bus for hours in East New York last Tuesday. Moesha Samuel is now demanding answers and justice for her son, MacQurie.

"My reaction, I almost fainted," Samuel said. "When I heard that, it just, everything stopped. It's like my soul was out, my soul left my body."

Samuel received a shocking call from Total Transportation, the bus company, informing her that MacQurie never made it to school and had been left on the bus. East New York hit a high of 84 degrees that day, and experts warn that a non-ventilated vehicle can surpass 120 degrees in just one hour on an 80-degree day.

The distraught mother expressed disbelief at how this could happen, especially given her son's condition.

"My son is autistic and he's nonverbal. How can you leave my child on a bus? My child doesn't take a long bus. He takes the short bus," Samuel said.

Samuel said she put her son on the bus around 1 p.m. but didn't receive the call about the incident until nearly three hours later. The child's grandmother, Gwendolyn Simmons, who was watching him that day, noticed something was off when he got off the bus.

"His hair was messy. His clothes were kind of damp and he didn't look himself," Simmons recounted.

Simmons quickly took MacQurie to the hospital, where he was evaluated and found to be physically fine. However, frustrated by the lack of information surrounding the incident, the family is now demanding answers.

"We're calling on the city to do an investigation because the reality is that school is about to start back come this September, and the reality is that this is raising anxiety in parents," New York City Council member Chris Banks said.

Bus drivers and attendants are required to check for sleeping children after completing their routes, according to the New York City Department of Education.

Total Transportation issued a statement apologizing to the family and confirming that the driver has been removed from service and is in the process of being terminated.

As the investigation continues, Samuel remains determined to find answers for her son and to ensure the safety of all children using school transportation services.

"What can we do to make the bus company better as a whole?" Samuel asked.

The family is now seeking legal action as they continue their quest for accountability and change in the wake of the alarming incident.