Upper West Side private school-bus driver charged in punching of child

UPPER WEST SIDE, Manhattan (WABC) -- A bus driver has been charged after a 6-year-old student reported that he was punched in the face on the bus, giving him a nosebleed.

Michael Bradley, 52, a school bus driver who drove students at The Ideal School on the Upper West Side, is accused of putting a 6-year-old boy in a headlock and punching him while on the bus. Bradley is charged with assault, harassment and endangering the welfare of a child.

Bradley has 14 prior arrests, including one in 2015 for aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle. He had his license suspended following a separate driving under the influence conviction.

The bus company, Friendly Bus Services, was privately hired by some parents, according to Ideal School. The school stressed that it does not contract with Friendly.

Attorney Sanford Rubenstein announced the lawsuit Wednesday. "This school solicited parents to utilize this bus company to take their kids to and from school during the school year. Schools have an obligation to parents to thoroughly vet and screen their bus drivers," a statement from Rubenstein's office said. "This obviously was not done here."