It's Night Side with Dan Ray on WBZ Boston's news.
Radio Bank of Dan Watkins. As we head into the nine o'clock hour, I want to open up a topic that we haven't talked about, and it's it's kind of a tough topic because it involves the the death of a five year old little boy named Lenz Joseph, a
student at what's called the Up Academy in Dorchester. Now, I've researched as much as I can on this story, and as late as today's well yesterday, in today's paper, there's a headline in the Globe that says, right now there's no accountability some residents concerned about transparency improve of deadly Boston school bus crash. So the first question I have is, how does something like this happen? A little boy five years old is on a bus, on a
school bus, a Boston school bus. And as I understand it, and if any of you have more insight into this situation than I do, you are more than welcome to call and join me in conversation. But this little guy gets off the bus, supposedly very close to where he lives, and somehow, some way, he is hit by the bus and dies. Now it's a five year old boy. I think I read something that said he might have been in the company of his cousin who's eleven years old. But how is a five year old child on a
school bus really unattended? Now? The problem here is that we don't know much about this. Apparently, yesterday the Mayor of Boston said that the driver of the BPS Boston Public School school bus that struck and killed a five year old has been placed on leave. According to some of the stories that I have read, this particular bus on the very afternoon a Monday, Monday afternoon, April twenty eighth, that this particular driver apparently had an incident before this
driving the bus. Now, driving a bus, a school bus is not an easy task, okay, It's very different than driving a car. I've never driven a school bus. I don't want to drive a school bus. It's a big vehicle, okay. And so I'm not trying to indict anyone here, But I guess the questions that I have for the police department, and for the District Attorney's office and the Mayor's office, all of whom seemed to be not particularly interested in
getting to the bottom of this quickly. Apparently according to different news reports that I have read, and I'm going to summarize here that at two twenty in the afternoon on April twenty eighth, which was a Monday, a witness saw a school bus full of children hit two parked cars but chose not to stop. Now, you cannot hit a parked car in a school bus and not realize
you hit a park car, Okay. The driver then, according to the reports, took off on walk Hill Street before it made the stop that resulted in the death of this little boy in Hyde Park. Now, the two cars were hit supposedly in in Mattapan, and then again according to the reports after after the bus struck this little guy, lends Arthur Joseph, five years old. He's crossing the street in front of the bus with his eleven year old cousin. That's been reported by Channel five. The bus driver tried
to flee the scene. And they've already hit two cars in Mattapan, and now you're going to flee the scene, according to police radio calls reviewed by The Boston Globe. In this story, the dispatcher is quoted as saying Operations Center to Charlie four thirty five on Wellington Hill. Sir, I'm just advising you it's a completely different incident, but the same school bus just ran over a child in
Hyde Park. The dispatcher called to an officer. According to the Call of Reviews, the officer said, I have that man now. Boston City Councilor Henry Santana, who's a at large city councilor, and District City councilor five City Councilor Enrique Peppin have demanded a look into the incident and how the city operates school buses. Santana is quoted as saying, no parents should ever have to encounter this and lose their child, No question about that, councilor. This is not common,
but one of those incidents is one too many. So the question is the question is who is driving the bus? Why is this bus driver involved in a matter of minutes, two separate accidents, one of which took the life of a five year old. Now no one suggesting for a moment that this driver intentionally did anything to cause the death of this child. But it's been now fifteen days, fifteen days since this well, actually more than that, it's going to be seventeen days. Seventeen days since this incident,
seventeen days and no rest been made. The driver has not been identified. What's going on? So my question is pretty simple, are you curious about how this child was killed? I guess we know how he was killed by the bus, But was the driver not paying attention? Why didn't the driver stop at the first accident in which two cars were hit? This, to me is befuddling. The police department hasn't released a lot of information on this. I've watched the news as closely as most people. Some of you
may watch it more closely. If some of you have seen information that explains what happened the sequence of events, love to hear from you on that. Where's the district Attorney's office on this? If this is a vehicular manslaughter case, there should be charges. I mean, I don't think you have to be the greatest investigator in the world to figure out who the bus drive was of this bus. I assume that they've been able to do forensics on the bus so that they now have some idea of
how the child was struck, had to be struck. I mean, I don't even want to think about what happened to this child. So this is a little five year old kid, who, of course everybody said, was just an incredible little boy, precocious and everything that you would hope to see a little child in a child in Boston. Now, if this had happened in Weston or Whyland or some of our Tonier suburbs Wellesley, do you think it would have taken now sixteen seventeen days to have someone charged. Do you
think it would have taken sixteen or seventeen days? It took a while for us just to get the name of the victim. Do you think it would have taken fifteen, sixteen seventeen days for the district attorney to get up and face the cameras and answer some questions, even if it's simply to say we are continuing to look into this matter, it would seem to me that that's the minimum that we should expect. Would it be too much for the Mayor of Boston to hold the news conference?
I just want to open up the lines and do you think that this is the way the death of a five year old child would be treated in communities outside of the city of Boston, Because that question, to me is an important question, because the child's life in Boston is as important as a child's life in Wellesley or Whaland or Weston or any other location. And this, to me is this is not a mystery. I don't think they need too much information here to under Did
they do toxology tests on the driver? I would hope they did. Did they try to find out if they were drugs or alcohol in his system? Why would someone hit two cars and then and then watch a five year old child get off the bus and then have that child involved in an accident with the bus. Doesn't make any sense. I hope some of us can make
some sense. And I also hope that by your phone calls, we can soon put some pressure on the officials here, the district attorney, who's an elected public official, the mayor who's an elected public official, and the police commissioner who serves at the at the will of the mayor. In Boston, the mayor appoints the police commissioner six seven two five six seven nine thirty. I want a vibrant conversation on this, because it deserves it. We'll be back on Nightside right after.
This Night Side with Dany Boston's news radio.
All right, we're talking about the death of a five year old boy. And I don't want this child's death to go unremembered and and I don't want it to slip out of our collective conscience because if someone was driving a school bus and they were not paying attention, or they were in any way, shape or form under any influence of anythings that would detract from their ability to act quickly, uh, and to act safely, then they need to be to face the music. Let's go to
Steve and Cambridge. Steve, this this story does really appall me. I'm wondering if it has the same impact on you.
Well, I have not been following it because there's not much to follow.
Yeah, I wonder I wonder why.
Well, I mean, Dan, it really sounds baffling, baffling because I mean, if you leave, if you try, if you're attempting to leave the scene of a motor vehicle accident when their at death has resulted, I mean, that seems like an immediately arrestable offense.
Yeah, it would seem to be that. It also would seem to be pretty clear consciousness of guilt.
Well, I mean, he wasn't arrested.
No, there's no record of that. We don't know. No one has been charged. To the best of our knowledge. There's been no public announcement from the police department, none from the city, none from District Attorney Kevin Hayden's office. Again, this is a five year old kid. I mean, you know, look, if it was a fifteen year old kid, you might say, well, maybe the guy the kid was horse playing with someone else and he tripped it, whatever. But it's a five
year old child. You would think that when a five year old child gets off a bus that bus driver is especially attentive to make sure that that child not only doesn't walk out in front of the bus, but also that the child doesn't walk out into traffic. He's five year old kid.
Well, it also sounds like there's evidence that the driver was impaired because he hit those two cars.
I think a reasonable person could come to that conclusion. And we've gone now it's I think this would be day seventeen. I don't get it. And of course what happens is the story phades from the headlines and people forget about it and the child is not coming back. He's fine.
But I mean, usually when a child is killed in circumstances like this, are not just a child. Usually you hear from the parents. I mean, you know, I'm surprised that the mother has not been on the news or and I would certainly think after fifteen days the family would be asking what's going on here.
Well, the other thing too, is it's possible that the parent or parents could be in such shock that they could just simply have a tough time just dealing with it at this point. I mean, it would seem to me that that's possible. They have nothing to be, in my opinion, responsible for, and I don't even think you're suggesting that.
No. I mean my point is that because the story isn't getting attention, I would think the parents would be outraged.
Well, I certainly agree with you on that the parents should be outraged, But again it's conceivable that I don't know. Normally, there's there's a lawyer who will come forward and help families like this. There's always a lawyer that comes forward, and I'm just totally I'm mystified. It's as simple as that.
And are you suspecting a cover up by any chance?
Well, I hope not, and I hope that by doing this tonight, we're going to make people talk about it. I can't imagine. I cannot imagine that even if the bus driver were a you know, a first you know, a next of kin relationship with some person in power, that that it would be impossible to cover up something like this.
I mean, what about if you're talking.
About if you're talking about some guy gets a speeding ticket and he's the brother of state senator or state represent Yeah, that's what we're not talking We're talking about the death of a child.
Of vehicular What could be a vehicular homicide could be if you thought of talking to who is the city council for some reason, his name can't well there.
There are a couple of city councilors that were quoted, and Marita today reached out to Counselor Enriquie Peppin, who I believe has has spoken about this with the Globe, and he was kind of his office was kind that it's a callback and he apparently has a had a conflict tonight, so so he was unavailable. But believe me, if if they had ignored our calls, we would have roasted would have roasted it pretty good. So it's when someone is gracious enough to call back.
And oh no, of course, But what about that counselor Kevin. His father was a mayor. His name's not coming to me now, Well, just like his father.
Well, I I'm not exactly I think who you might be talking about, but I'm not exactly sure, So I to bring people.
He was to the Vatican. He was an ambassador to the Vatican.
Flynn.
Yeah, well, I'm talking about his son.
Right right, Well, Ray Flynn, former mayor Ray Flynn was the ambassador of the US ambassador of the Vatican. We had ed Flynn on last night. This did not happen in his district he represents, He does not even close. I believe it was either a councilor Henry Santana or Enrique Peppin's district. I think that they're kind of taking the lead on this. That's why we called that. Yeah, I would say, where's the mayor, where's the police chief? Of course, the police chief very rarely. He's the lowest
profile police chief ever I've ever seen. And you know, Mayor, Mayor Woo is fighting battles with with Ice and Tom Holman. I want some attention paid to this child's death because this. If this happened in you know, some of the more Tony suburbs, which rightfully so, Wellesley West and Whaland, I guarantee you uh, they would be outcry. Uh at this point, Uh there was there was no action taken. I mean, this is not this is not an unsolved This is not a thirty year old cold case that people have
to work on. It seems to me that there's someone who's going to be the suspect here, it's the driver. Did the driver get away that day? Was the driver taken into custody? Did they do a breathalyzer? I've got a lot of questions.
But answers yet.
Well, it's not to get the police commissioner in Boston on this program. It's not on impossible. So I'm not going to give anybody a free pass on this. All I'm going to say to the residents of Boston, this is your opportunity to call up and express your your concern about apparently the lack of concern that a lot of officials in Boston elected and otherwise are showing towards towards this little boy who is now dead for sixteen seventeen days and very sad yeah, you got it, Steve.
I appreciate you taking the call in. Thank you much appreciate the call. Okay, I got wide open lines here. If you don't want to talk about this, this one, this one really will trouble me because this is this may not be your child, but he's a he's a five year old boy who is now dead. He's not coming back, okay, and so far. Uh, you know, maybe they're doing great investigation here, but I don't know that
that much investigation truly was needed here. And talog toxology tests can come back a lot quicker than seventeen days. I hope that they were smart enough to do that, but there's no one to ask these questions off so Boston residents or people who understand what I'm saying six one seven, two, five, four ten thirty six one seven,
nine three one ten thirty. I'm willing to stay talking about this because I don't know this child, but I know he was someone's child, and I know he was five years old, and I know he died seconds after he alighted from a Boston public school bus. And this never should have happened, and this situation should be addressed publicly by the officials in officialdom here in the city of Boston, and so far we've heard little to nothing.
Back on Nightside right after these messages and news at the bottom of the.
Hour night Side with Dan Ray, I'm Boston's news Radio.
Well, I'll tell you, I'm sticking with this story because I I don't know this little boy, this five year old little boy who lost his life, lost his life getting off a school bus in the city of Boston. I mean, how do you explain it? You don't, you don't and there's no explanation so far. The little boy's first name is Lenz elie Ns Lenz. Joseph is his
last name. A student at the UP Academy in Dorchester, five years old, five years old, taking the bus to school by himself, going home, supposedly was with an eleven year old cousin. I'm outraged. I'm outraged that we've heard nothing from the powers that be in this city. Okay, it's supposedly the safest city in America. Well, it wasn't a safe city for this little five year old boy. Was it? Simple as that? We haven't heard much from the mayor. We have heard nothing, to the best of
my knowledge. From the police commissioner, and we've heard absolutely nothing from the Suffolk County District Attorney. So there's more than enough blame to go around. Let's go. We're going to go to Anna in Marlborough. Anna, thank you very much for calling in. You were first, your second this hour.
Go ahead, Annah, Hi, Hi, I'm calling because I think you're right.
I mean, a five year old death should it cannot be swept under the rug. And this story deserves some outrage from the community.
Yeah, I'm not accusing anyone, by the way, make it clear of sweeping it under the rug. But it would seem to me that on a story like this, not only does the family deserve answers, but the community deserves
the answers. And they and and it should and the answer this is not one you know when when you know when when there's a horrible murder and someone has found in the woods and they've been there for three days and the police have no idea and they're looking for help, and they're anybody who has seeing this person in the last week, Please let us that's a different situation.
We know what happened. This kid, this little boy was hit by a school bus that he had just gotten off and the state and the same bus allegedly uh hit two cars a few minutes earlier in another location. I mean, do we need elliott ness to put that together?
Unfortunately, obviously I don't have any of the answers, but I do.
Have a few questions. Yeah, So, whatn't Boston uh desperately searching for bus drivers at the beginning of the school year.
To be always searching for bus drivers. Yeah, I'm sure that that that's true. Yeah.
Oh so I could have sworn though that when I was driving to work for the beginning of this school year, is that that was the constant thing, is that there was there was such a shortage, that there was such a shortage of bus drivers that they were looking for bus drivers.
And so I guess.
I'm wondering, like, did they follow the proper process to hire the bus driver? Did they do the accurate checks on that bus driver to make sure that that this was, you know, a safe person to be driving children.
I'd like to I'd like to know how long had this been driving? Had this guy been a is he a veteran driver, or is he somebody who uh you know, became a driver two weeks ago or three weeks ago. I mean, there's some fundamental questions here, and yes, and we're not getting any answers, any guidance from what is considered to be one. You know, it's a it's a safe city, right, Well, it wasn't safe for this little boy.
And it's it's disgraceful in my opinion. And and there's no if somebody comes, if they were to come forward and say, look, we've looked at this h we're doing some toxology. We want to make sure that everything we're going to charge this driver with is in order. Okay, that's fine, but are they doing like a worldwide search for something and they put out an all point bulletin.
For I mean no, And that's what makes you think that there's got to be something that you know, it blows back on them, and that's why this hasn't come out yet. That's my that's my gut ceiling. It's it's not a good feeling. But like I have been involved in you know, very large companies where you know, you
report these things. I mean even I've personally experienced the fact, like I've driven around with a driver that was very, very unsafe and reported that, oh, you know this, this driver is unsafe, and when something happened with that particular driver, right there was no news of that there was it was almost like, oh, this this is shocking and we don't know what's going on. Well, the reality is that that the background you know, research and checks and bounces were not conducted.
Well, An, that's you.
You've read my mind a little bit here. So but but again I just think that we gotta we need to get the uh. Look, I'm not going to ignore a story and and be complicit uh in any sort of a cover up, if indeed there's a cover up. I'm not alleging this a cover up, but as somebody who's a talk show host and who knows Boston pretty well and understands how this city functions, uh, I felt I would bring it out tonight. I wish that there were more people like you who picked up the phone.
We're going to talk to Tim and Wilburn and Sandy and west Roxbury and hopefully some more folks. Uh. I feel sometimes like a modern day Paul Revere. I just want to ring, you know, and wake people up, that's all, you.
Know what, Dan Ray, I love that And as a mother of two young children. I say, you know, keep it going, keep it ringing, because this kid deserves it.
Well, that's that's what I've done for a long time, both in television and now in radio, and I feel a responsibility, uh, in my opinion as simple as that. Anna, thank you so much. How old are your kiddos? Are they in this age range we're talking about?
Yeah, so I've got an almost four year old and a one year old, so yeah, good, yeah, and this kid deserved that. He needs to have his name screamed loud and proud, and we.
Good for you know what happened to him. Anna, thanks so much for listening to Nightside. I'll keep your company any night. Okay, thank you so much.
Right, thank you, good night.
Please tell you friends about Nightside. Good night. We'll be back right after this break. I got a couple of open lines six one seven, two, five, four ten thirty six one seven, nine three ten thirty. Uh, this is your cause to everyone. Believe me, this is your cause, because if this can happen to this five year old child, don't think it couldn't happen to your five year old
child or your five year old grandchild. I wish I could say what I'm really feeling right now, but and maybe I will when I get back back on Nightside after this.
You're on Night Side with Dan Ray on Boston's news radio.
By the way, we welcome new callers. I'm not sure if Ianna has called before, but that was a really interesting call. I hope more of you will participate on this issue because you may never have met that little boy who you never will meet Lendsay Joseph, but he is the same as any other five year old boy and he should have been protected. Tim Is and Wilburn. Tim, thanks so much for calling. I appreciated you.
And next on Nightside, Dan, thank you for taking my call.
You're welcome.
Andy, how you said a little while ago, if you don't want to talk about it, you can talk about an out of the topics. I don't want to talk about it, and I don't even want to think about it. My guard who was five years old.
Yeah, well, I think, unfortunately, Tim, I think that we need to talk about it because at this point, all of the political leaders, the mayor has not talked about it. She referred everything to the police commissioner yesterday. The police commissioner is hardly ever available. Uh. And the district attorney he hasn't said anything about it. Read the newspapers, you know, people, anybody I prepped for this hour and the information.
Uh.
We had the name of the boy, the little boy, but he got How could this guy take his bus and hit two part cars and just keep rolling and then strike and kill a five year old that had been on his boss? He watched the kid get off the bus. Did he did? He? Just all of them get out of here?
I mean, yeah, well, you know, you're right. You know, I don't don't want to think about it, but it should be talked about.
Yeah, I mean, I really mean that, because what happens is that people who would like this to go away. I have no idea how these folks are qualified. What is this guy's background had? You know, Look, if this is a guy who had some sort of a medical seizure, okay, fine, but but I don't think so. I don't think so.
They have they haven't investigated this at all.
Well, I don't know if they've investigated. I can't say that because we're not being given any any information. Could have they investigated it, shore could have they solved it? Maybe but if they have, if they figured it out, let's find out what charge is being brought and if not, why not. Those are the questions that need to be asked. And the officials in Boston have no interest in dealing with those issues because it wasn't their five year old child. And if it up, I have no idea. I'm not
I don't want to go that far yet. All I'm trying to do is prod them, and I'm hoping people will call and prod them and let them know that there is a real public interest in this. It's as simple as that.
But I appreciate you, Jim, if I could right you said you can change the topic. I met doctor Sal at Renoli's Yeah, let's do.
This, Tim, Tim, let me do this. I don't want it. I was speaking parenthetically. I don't want to change the topic. I want I appreciate your calling in, and your call is important to me, but I want to keep rolling in this topic. Okay, And we will thank you for your comment about doctor Sal. He's a great guy, and do me a favorite. Next time you call in. I'll give you an opportunity to say whatever you want about doctor Sal. I just don't want to distract from the importance of this topic.
I hope you understand understandable. Thank you would taking my call.
Welcome, Thank thanks so much. Let me go to Sandy in West Roxbury. Sandy, you are the first person from Boston tonight, the city of Boston who had the decency to call in. Thank you, Sandy, go right ahead.
Well, it was hard for me to call because I get so angry that it's time to me.
That's the problem I'll talk about the problem is. The problem is people aren't getting angry enough Siddy. You know, I mean, because you know, kind of slip into her own little world and well it wasn't my kid. You know, I don't know the kid. What difference does it make? Makes a hell of a lot of difference.
Well, not to this administration. She and those that follow her. They ignore anything that's controversial unless it's going to bring her into the spotlight. Positively. She has no interest. I believe what you were talking about last night. They're not interested in Tanya.
Whether and she's going to stay there until July twenty ninth, when she's sentenced. I didn't realize the sentence date was put off that long. She's got another two months of paychecks. And by the way, by the way, since you mentioned that, let me just take the opportunity to night or that today at the bot City Council we had Ed Flynn on last night. He said the resolution that today was tabled, which is just a little, you know way in which politicians get rid of things. That it was tabled by
one of the city councilors. And I want to make sure that that I give the proper credit to the city councilor who tabled it, and I have that information here. Come on, let me get that get up here real quickly. I don't want to tie you up any further here. Uh, the that was tabled today by city council Liz Breden or Brayden cut off debate and asked to send it to a committee for a hearing. This is any a text from Ed Flynn where it will die. We obviously
didn't vote in the future of council Fernandez Anderson. This is not profiles in courage. Its profiles and cowardice is what it actually is. And that's off to Ed Flynn.
I love it when the mayor goes on and on about how the city is so safe. That's only if you count the people that were stabbed and didn't die, the people that were assaulted and didn't die, the people that were robbed and didn't die. She's only counting the people who died. There were so many other people that were shot and didn't die. I mean, we have a huge high crime rate. People aren't terrified going out at night.
You know, Well, there's an election, it's up it's up to people. I would I would hoped that I would have heard from Josh Craft tonight. To be honest with you, it seems to me that this is an issue that everybody who lives in Boston should be concerned about. I'm not claiming that's cover up. All I'm saying is we need to know, we need we need an update in this investigation. Seventeen days after the death of this little boy.
Well, we need a change of focus. I mean, they're not focused that what they what was the big thing today? Ranked choice voting?
Yeah right, that's that's that That's going to solve all problems.
Yeah, yeah, that's very important.
Very important. Forget forget the little boy who is now dead. You know what, here's we're gonna do, Sandy, because you called in and because Tim called in, We're gonna carry this into the next hour, so I have to cut off. Say good night to you, but thank you for being the one person from Boston who had the courage and the intestinal fortitude to call in. And I commend you for it. Thanks, Sandy, I appreciate you. You're welcome. Those are in the lines, stay there if you're not, there's
one line open, six one, seven thirty. It is time to wake up, everybody. It is wake up and time to smell the coffee. There's a little boy five years old dead. You didn't know him, maybe you never met him, maybe you never even saw him, but that child is dead, and at this point the city has said nothing about the cause of death, what happened to him? Uh it is. It is a conspiracy of silence that should never be tolerated anywhere. We should on a daily basis get an
update as to where this investigation is. You do not need Inspector Clouseau to solve this problem. To solve this case, in my opinion back on night Side is you can tell I'm a little wound up. I wanna get you wound up too.