Phila. school bus stolen while driver at funeral

Monday, March 05, 2012

Tags:

national/world

KENSINGTON, Pa. (WPVI) -- Police are trying to track down the teenagers who stole a school bus from a Philadelphia lot Monday afternoon while the driver was at a funeral.

Authorities say three teens stole the bus from the lot on the 2100 block of East Lippincott Street in Kensington sometime between 1:00 p.m. and 2:00 p.m.

Bus driver Regina Hunter and her family were at a funeral and when they arrived back home, they discovered the bus had been stolen.

"We couldn't believe it. We just came home from a funeral, she came home to go to work and the school bus is gone. We drove around looking for it, we couldn't find it," Regina's daughter Malika Hunter said.

Police say the teens apparently hotwired the bus, owned by A1, a privately owned bus charter company.

Shortly thereafter, police tracked down the bus less than a mile away at Jasper and Sergeant streets.

"I'm shocked. I'm stunned. I never thought nobody would steal the school bus," Malika said.

"Those kids need a whupping. They need some discipline," daughter Tynia Hunter said.

Witnesses said the teens couldn't make the turn at Jasper and Sergeant streets and they fled from the bus.

Other than the ignition system, the bus was not damaged and no one was injured. The search for the teens continues.