The driver was walking to his bus in the Bronx when he was attacked from behind and knocked unconscious — waking up with a swollen face held together with stitches. NBC 4 New York’s Marc Santia reports.
What to Know
- A beloved Bronx bus driver is back on the job after he was left bloody and bruised in a vicious beatdown
- After being knocked unconscious, Charles McLennon woke up and looked in the mirror to see his swollen face being held together with stitches
- As he was out, the students he's driven for 16 years reached out to him at home wishing him well and hoping he comes back soon
A suspect is in custody in the brutal attack on a beloved bus driver who has been transporting Bronx schoolkids for 16 years.
The NYPD arrested Tyekeem Wright, 19, of the Bronx, early Thursday morning. He is charged with assault and harrassment.
Charles McLennon was walking to his school bus parked on 3rd Avenue near East 167th Street on May 1 when an attacker snuck up behind the 71-year-old, hitting him on the side of the head. McLennon was knocked to the ground, and was struck again when he tried to get back up.
After being knocked unconscious, he came to and looked in the mirror to see his swollen face being held together with stitches.
“Why? Keep asking everybody why,” said McLennon. “I still don’t know why.”
What helped life McLennon’s spirits as he recovered at home were the phone calls and messages he received from students he has driven to school over the past 16 years.
Local
“For one thing the kids are looking for me,” said McLennon. “When they don’t see Charles, they calling me up at their house!”
Now back on the job, McLennon is surrounded by staff and the students who missed him.
“They were so sad. Each day they want to look at my face, (saying) ‘Charles it’s getting better. Let me see your eyes. It’s getting better!’”
Cops said McLennon was not robbed and nothing was taken from him.
