The alleged BB gun-wielding MTA bus hijacker who terrified commuters in Queens during Thursday’s morning rush has been charged with unlawful imprisonment, cops said Friday. NBC New York’s Melissa Colorado reports.
The alleged BB gun-wielding MTA bus hijacker who terrified commuters in Queens during Thursday's morning rush has been charged with unlawful imprisonment, cops said Friday -- as new videos show some of the chaos unfold.
Dwayne Gaddy, 44, is also accused of reckless endangerment, among other crimes, in the 7:30 a.m. takeover of the Q4 bus in Cambria Heights a day ago.
Gaddy allegedly tried to flag down a different MTA bus first, according to surveillance video obtained by News 4. The footage shows a man identified by authorities as Gaddy racing alongside the bus, but it doesn't stop. That's when, cops say, Gaddy turned his attention to a different bus -- and ran right in front of it holding what appeared to be a firearm.
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That bus driver did stop, at the intersection of 199th Street and Linden Boulevard, and Gaddy boarded. He allegedly pointed the weapon, which looked like a real gun, at the driver and ordered him to drive. First, cops say the driver opened all the doors to let the roughly two dozen passengers off. They escaped, leaving him alone with the hijacker.
None of the passengers were hurt.
Gaddy allegedly ordered the driver again to move and at that point he did, driving for another 30-plus blocks before leaping out his own window near 232nd Street and Linden Boulevard, authorities say. Surveillance footage obtained from that scene shows the bus slow to a crawl -- and the moment the driver jumps out of it, leaping from the driver's side window.
Cops say Graddy took the wheel at that point and crashed into a utility pole a short time later.
He got off the crashed bus, which was stuck under the heavy pole, and was taken into custody across the street. He, along with the heroic bus driver, were treated for minor injuries at a hospital.
In addition to the unlawful imprisonment and reckless endangerment charges, Graddy is accused of menacing and weapon possession. Cops say the BB gun (below) was recovered at the scene, along with what police believe was Graddy's backpack. Attorney information for the alleged hijacker wasn't immediately available Friday.
A top MTA official said the agency was thankful no one was seriously hurt in the chaos and said the bus driver had been with the MTA for 21 years. He was said to be at the hospital with MTA management and union representatives into the early afternoon hours after the attack. The driver is expected to make a full recovery, officials said.
"I definitely want to commend the driver for his actions. He did not move the bus until everyone was off the bus and then they continued traveling eastbound on Linden Boulevard," NYPD Chief Jerry O'Sullivan noted at the media briefing.
Mark Henry, the president of the Amalgamated Transit Union, said that the driver is traumatized and it's unclear when, or if, he'll return behind the wheel.
"I know he needs time to process everything that went on, basically had his life flash before his eyes," Henry said Friday. "He saved a lot of people, we are very proud of him. He's a hero in our eyes."
The investigation is ongoing.
