New Jersey bus driver arrested committed a brutal assault A passenger allegedly spat in his face.
The violent assault was captured on multiple videos recorded by other passengers on their cell phones.
“If someone spits on me, I will automatically hit them.”
Newark Public Safety Director Fritz Flaget said the fight broke out on a bus near Court and Broad streets on Friday around 1 p.m.
The video showed the driver, later identified as Tron Walker, telling other passengers to back off before punching the man multiple times and even choking him.
When police responded to the scene following a report of an altercation, Walker was still struggling with the man.
Flaget said Walker was taken into custody and charged with aggravated assault, and the passenger was also arrested and charged with aggravated assault.
Police are reviewing video of the incident as part of their investigation.
WABC-TV spoke with several transit bus drivers about the arrests, some of whom spoke out against the arrests.
“The bus driver is trying to help the community and you have been disrespectful to the bus driver who is trying to help us. He’s just doing his job and he just wants to feel safe,” said bus passenger Zoe Clark.
“If someone spits on me, I automatically punch them,” said Newark resident Donna DeFeo.
A statement from the New Jersey Department of Transportation confirmed that the driver had been assaulted before the incident.
We do not tolerate any form of assault in our vehicles or on our premises. Our drivers have been confirmed to have been assaulted prior to this incident. We would like to take this opportunity to inform everyone that assaulting a transport employee is a serious offence and may result in fines, imprisonment and/or a ban on transport services.
This is WABC News Video Much of the cell phone footage capturing the brutal assault was also released.
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