NEW YORK — A man with a fake gun allegedly hijacked a bus in Queens, New York, on Thursday before crashing it into a pole.
According to WPIX, the New York Police Department said the suspect, 44, ran in front of a bus with what appeared to be a gun before boarding it near 197th Street and Linden Boulevard Thursday morning just after 7:20 a.m.
Once the suspect was on the bus, he allegedly told the bus driver he was being chased and to keep driving, said the NYPD according to WPIX.
According to NYPD per WNBC, the suspect allegedly put the gun in his waistband and let everyone on the bus get off except the bus driver. The bus kept going until the driver panicked and jumped out of the driver’s side window.
According to WNBC, the suspect then got behind the wheel before crashing the bus about a block away. The bus hit a utility pole, causing an explosion and leaving about 800 people without power, which has since been restored.
Surveillance video showed the suspect trying to flag down the bus driver earlier on Tuesday, but that bus driver kept going, according to WNBC. He then stopped another bus, got in front of it and waved the realistic-looking gun.
NYPD said, according to WPIX, the suspect had a history of mental illness and was apprehended near the crash. Police also said that an imitation pistol was found at the scene.
According to WPIX, the bus driver and the suspect were taken to the hospital with minor injuries. No other injuries were reported.
Charges are pending against the suspect. No further information has been released.