October 27 2022 QUEENS, New York – A man armed with a fake gun hijacked an MTA bus, as the bus driver jumped out of the window, in Queens early Thursday, police say.
The bus hijacker then crashed the vehicle into a utility pole a few blocks away from where the bus was taken, according to police. Once the bus approached 232nd Street, the driver fled by jumping out of the window and the hijacker took over the bus.
Cops say the suspect ran up to the front of the Queens bus, while holding what resembled a gun around 7:30am, near 199th Street and Linden Boulevard in the Cambria Heights neighborhood of Queens.
As the man was causing a scene on the bus, the driver opened the doors, allowing a dozen passengers to escape, officials said.
Police and eyewitness both said the hijacker made statements about being chased and demanded the bus driver to keep driving, which he did, for about 30 blocks.
After the crash, the 44-year-old suspect got off the bus and was taken into custody by the police. The bus driver was taken to a hospital with minor injuries.
The crash damaged several utility poles and downed wires that caused power outages for dozens of customers in the area.
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