Jean Charles, the former Boston school bus driver accused of running over and killing 5-year-old Lens Arthur Joseph last year, was released Thursday on $15,000 bail following his arraignment in Suffolk Superior Court.
Charles, 39, of Brockton, was ordered not to drive and to surrender his passport as conditions of his release. He is due back in court on May 11.
Charles faces charges of involuntary manslaughter, reckless motor vehicular homicide, and negligent motor vehicle homicide in connection with the April 28, 2025, incident that killed Joseph, a kindergarten student at UP Academy Charter School in Hyde Park. He pleaded not guilty to all charges.
According to prosecutors, Charles struck Joseph with his school bus moments after the boy had been dropped off and was attempting to cross the street. Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden said Charles drove away after waiting only a few seconds without confirming where Joseph was, running over the child and causing his death.
“Lens got off that bus that day with the same expectation that any child would get off safely and to get home to their family, but he didn’t get home safely that day,” Hayden said outside the courthouse. He described the actions that led to Joseph’s death as reckless and said they had left an irreparable void for everyone who knew and loved the boy.
The prosecution outlined a series of failures it says preceded the fatal incident. Charles allegedly failed to conduct a required pre-trip inspection that would have revealed that the bus’s safety crossing bar was broken and that its left rear tire was flat. Prosecutors said he failed to stop at a stop sign and did not drop Joseph off at his designated bus stop. Transdev, the contracting company that manages bus operations and hires drivers for Boston Public Schools, had previously acknowledged that Charles missed the turn onto Joseph’s Street.
Prosecutors also told the court that a witness observed Charles acting belligerently and appearing annoyed at the children on the bus. He was also accused of striking a mail truck. Transdev has previously disclosed that Charles hit a separate vehicle on the day of Joseph’s death and failed to report the collision to the company — a violation that, had it been reported, would have resulted in his immediate removal from service.
The prosecution further alleged that Charles was involved in a hit-and-run incident last August, months after Joseph’s death.
Kenneth Anderson, Charles’s attorney, described the case as a tragic accident and expressed sympathy for Joseph’s family.
“Our hearts go out to the family of Lens Arthur Joseph. We can’t imagine the loss they’re going through. We can’t fathom that. There are no winners in this case,” Anderson said.
Charles had been employed by Transdev since May 2023. Following Joseph’s death, the company revealed that Charles had been operating the school bus with an expired school bus certificate. He was scheduled to appear at a due-process hearing related to the incident, but he resigned before it took place.
Joseph’s death prompted an independent investigation and a broader review of Boston school bus safety conducted by the city in the months that followed. Joseph’s family has filed a lawsuit against both Charles and Transdev.
The case is set to continue when Charles returns to Suffolk Superior Court on May 11.
