Police: Leaving 4-year-old alone on school bus was 'monumental mistake' but not criminal

Jack Perry, Providence Journal
Updated ·2 min read
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NORTH KINGSTOWN – A 4-year-old boy being left alone on a school bus Tuesday morning was "a monumental mistake" but not the result of criminal conduct, the North Kingstown police said Wednesday afternoon.

The boy "eventually" got off the bus and "wandered" into the nearby Municipal Office Building, the police said in a press release. Despite the heat, which climbed into the 80s Tuesday morning in North Kingstown, the boy was OK,.

"After conducting a thorough investigation, it is the opinion of the North Kingstown Police Department, that no criminal conduct occurred here," North Kingstown Police Capt. John K. MacCoy Jr. said in a follow-up email after the press release. "This was a monumental mistake that could’ve led to dire consequences."

The temperature in North Kingstown climbed into the 80s Tuesday morning and peaked at 88 degrees Tuesday afternoon, according to Timeanddate.com. Rhode Island, with the exception of Block Island, was under a heat advisory from the National Weather Service for dangerous heat and humidity.

Why was the 4-year-old on the bus?

The boy is enrolled in the North Kingstown School Department’s extended school year program and had gotten on the mini-bus Tuesday morning for the ride to school, the police said.

"The child was unintentionally left on the bus and transported back to the bus yard located on Fairway (Drive)," the police said. "Once at the bus yard, the driver and monitors left with the child still inside."

The problem was discovered when the boy walked into the Municipal Office Building, also located at Fairway Drive, the police said.

"Initial reports indicated the child appeared to be lost and had no parent or guardian in sight," the police said in the press release.

Responding to the office building shortly after 10 a.m., an investigating officer recognized the boy and contacted his mother, who came and got him, the police said.

The bus windows were closed while the child was inside, but the door was "slightly ajar," which the police believe enabled the boy to get off the bus, according to MacCoy.

The North Kingstown School Department is still investigating the incident, according to Supt. Kenneth A. Duva. In response to an inquiry, he said would share the "findings when we release the information."

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Four-year-old was left alone on school bus in North Kingstown