A grand jury will hear the case against a former New Jersey Transit bus operator accused of masturbating behind the wheel while navigating a passenger-filled bus through the Lincoln Tunnel and busy streets.
At his arraignment in Hudson County Criminal Court Wednesday, 41-year-old George Simpson, Jr. did not speak. His attorney waived his client’s right to have formal charges read out loud.
“We don’t have any comment,” said defense attorney Frank Arleo. “We are waiting to get discovery from the prosecutor and then we will begin talking to them.”
Arleo did not say how Simpson intends to plead. He is charged with lewdness, risking widespread injury and reckless driving.
Shortly after the alleged lewd incident in July, New Jersey Transit spokesman John Durso Jr. released a statement saying “the bus operator in question was immediately removed from service without pay as a result of this disturbing and grossly irresponsible conduct. We offer our sincere apologies to anyone who may have witnessed this disturbing episode.”
The woman who captured the act on her cell phone camera is a librarian who has notified NJ Transit that she intends to file a claim against the agency.
“She is deeply disturbed,” said her attorney Patrick Metz.
