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New Jersey School Bus Monitor Charged in Death of 6-Year-Old Rider

Amanda Davila, 27, faces charges of second-degree manslaughter and second-degree endangering the welfare of a child.

A school bus monitor from New Jersey has been charged in the death of a 6-year-old passenger after a seat belt strangled her without the monitor noticing, the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office announced on Thursday. Police said Amanda Davila, 27, was assigned to monitor the young girl, who uses a wheelchair, while on her way to an extended school year program at a local school in Franklin on Monday. Davila secured the child’s wheelchair to the back of the bus, but a bumpy ride caused the 6-year-old’s four-point harness to wrap around her neck and restrict her breathing, according to authorities. Meanwhile, Davila sat at the front of the bus and allegedly wore ear buds in both ears while using her cellphone “in violation of policies and procedures,” the prosecutor’s office said. When the bus arrived, the child was found unresponsive and the school’s emergency team attempted to administer first aid before calling emergency services, a message from the superintendent of schools read. Officers administered CPR, and the 6-year-old was transported to a hospital’s intensive care unit—and declared dead shortly afterward. Davila faces charges of second-degree manslaughter and second-degree endangering the welfare of a child. She is being held at Somerset County Jail pending a detention hearing.

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