Township teen charged with assault on school bus driver
BY KATHY BARATTA Staff Writer

MANALAPAN - A township resident has been charged with assaulting a school bus driver.

Police allege that on Jan. 15 John Bannon, 18, of Veronica Court, assaulted a 67-year-old driver who is an employee of the Durham Bus Company, Freehold. The driver was transporting students home from St. John Vianney High School, Holmdel, at the time the incident occurred.

Veronica Court is a small cul-de-sac offMillhurst Road near Main Street in the Tennent section of Manalapan.

According to police, Bannon was charged with aggravated assault on a bus driver, aggravated assault, endangering the welfare of a minor, burglary and criminal mischief.

Police did not provide the name of the bus driver, but did identify the driver as a male.

Bannon was charged with burglary because he allegedly broke into the bus in order to carry out the assault, according to police. He was charged with endangering the welfare of a minor because a student was on the bus at the time of the alleged assault.

The criminal mischief charge was lodged against Bannon as a result of damage done to the door and interior of the bus, according to police.

Police said that at about 5 p.m. Jan. 15 the driver informed authorities that Bannon had initially verbally confronted him about statements Bannon alleged the driver made to Bannon's 15-year-old sister while she was riding on the school bus.

Police allege that while the school bus was in front of the Bannon home, a verbal confrontation occurred between Bannon and the driver.

Subsequent to that, Bannon "forcibly entered the bus" and assaulted the driver, according to police, who said the driver reported that he was in his seat and wearing a seat belt during the entire incident.

The driver reported the incident to police and received treatment at CentraState Medical Center, Freehold Township, for a broken nose and other facial injuries after dropping off the last student on the bus and returning the vehicle to the bus yard, according to police.

Police said Bannon, who is unemployed, was subsequently arrested byManalapan officers. He was released after posting $10,000 bail. Detective Eric Schmidt and Detective Samuel Britton Jr. are continuing their investigation of the incident.