Rider pummeled after spitting at NJ Transit bus driver, cops say

☑️ Video shows confrontation between NJ Transit bus driver and passenger

☑️ The driver repeatedly punches and kicks the passenger, the video shows

☑️ Both were charged with aggravated assault

NEWARK — A NJ Transit bus driver was caught on video punching and kicking a passenger on the job Friday as horrified riders watched.

A video posted on X begins in the middle of a confrontation between the driver and a passenger at the front of the bus which was stopped on Broad Street and Lafayette Street in Newark around noon. As the driver directs passengers to use another exit, the video shows him throwing a punch at the passenger.

Passengers react with shock as the video then shows the driver pushing the rider into a seat and continually punching the passenger. The video shows the driver turning the passenger over, facedown, and repeatedly cursing and pushing his head into the seat. As the passenger falls to the floor, the driver continues to punch and kick the passenger as the video ends.

A photo posted by the New York Post shows the driver with his hands around the passenger's neck.

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Driver and passenger charged

Newark Public Safety Director Fritz Fragé said the fight started when the passenger spit at the driver following a verbal confrontation. Both driver and passenger were charged with aggravated assault. The identities of the driver and passenger were not disclosed.

Fragé directed questions about the driver to NJ Transit. Spokesman Kyalo Mulumba said the driver is "out of service" and was assaulted "prior to the altercation" but declined to comment about the incident citing an ongoing investigation.

"We don’t condone any form of assault aboard any of our vehicles or within our facilities," Mulumba said. "We want to take this opportunity to remind everyone that assaulting a transit employee is a serious offense and can result in a fine, jail time and/or a ban from riding the transit system.”

RLS Metro Breaking News was first to report the fight.

WARNING: VIOLENCE AND LANGUAGE

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