Newton school bus driver indicted on kidnapping charges, drove children to secluded areas, DA says

NEWTON, Mass. — A Newton school bus driver is facing kidnapping charges, accused of driving three young children to secluded areas for up to 20 minutes at a time, and taking photos of the victims.

Justin Vose, 42 of Bedford, has been indicted by a Middlesex County Grand Jury for three counts of kidnapping, Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan said Wednesday.

The charges stem from alleged inappropriate conduct by Vose while he was working as a bus driver for Newton Public Schools’ Early Education Childhood Program, for which school bus transportation is contracted through JSC Transportation.

On May 28, school officials notified Newton Police of suspicious activity by Vose, one of their contracted bus drivers, after one of the students was dropped off late at daycare, Ryan said.

When the bus company checked Vose’s GPS location, it allegedly revealed that Vose entered the parking lot but instead of dropping the child off, Vose drove to a secluded portion of the parking lot near the tree line, Ryan said.

An investigation found that on multiple occasions Vose had driven three victims, between ages 3 and 5 years old, to secluded areas and turned off the audio and video recording in his bus for up to 20 minutes at a time, Ryan said.

Ryan said the school district, parent of the students, and daycare or bus company officials never authorized Vose’s change in route or one-on-one time with the victims.

All the children are semi-nonverbal or struggle with communication, the district attorney said. A search of Vose’s phone also revealed that he had taken photos with the victims.

Ensuring the safety and well-being of students is the top priority of Newton Public Schools, school officials said in a statement on Wednesday.

“Our contracted transportation vendors conduct thorough background checks on all applicants before finalizing employment and the driver noted in this situation passed all checks and had no history of prior incidents, as far as we know,” school officials said. “As soon as allegations surfaced, in May 2024, regarding a driver deviating from standard routes and procedures, the district followed protocol and asked the transportation vendor to place the individual on leave while legal proceedings took place. Based on information provided by law enforcement, the Middlesex District Attorney has decided to formally press charges regarding the driver’s behavior at that time.”

“Our focus remains on providing caring support to our students and families. We are committed to maintaining a safe and secure environment for all members of our school community and want to emphasize that situations like this are not a regular occurrence,” school officials said. “Our tracking routines allowed us to successfully hold this individual accountable.”

Vose will be arraigned in Middlesex Superior Court in Woburn on Oct. 25.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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