Bus Driver Praised For Spotting Lost Chelsea Girl
CHELSEA (CBS) – A 10-year-old Chelsea girl is home safe and an MBTA bus driver is being commended for quick thinking.
Bus driver Michael Clooney spotted a 10-year-old girl wandering alone on Route 1 in Revere on Tuesday afternoon, so he picked her up, offered her some water and called in to the bus control center.
Bus drivers had been notified by police that the girl was missing Tuesday afternoon. Within 40 minutes Clooney reported that he had picked the girl up and was bringing her to Wonderland station, where she was met by transit police.
The student told police officers she fell asleep on the MBTA bus she takes home from school and ended up at the Maverick Square Station, where she became confused and got on the wrong bus.
She said she was glad Clooney stopped. "I noticed that it was getting dark a little, so like, the fact that, like, he found me - I was, like, really grateful. That way my friends wouldn't have to, like, worry anymore about where I am."
Her mother was also grateful to the driver for bringing her daughter home.
MBTA General Manager Steve Poftak said, "As Mike reminded us this week, staying alert and attentive at all times is what makes a good bus operator."
