A Peter Pan Driver Apparently Locked a Woman in a Bus to Boston
Wendy Helena Alberty faces several charges after a woman said she was trapped in a baggage area.
Photo by Kevin Boyd via Flickr/Creative Commons
A Peter Pan driver is facing a list of charges this week after she was accused of intentionally locking a passenger in a baggage area of a bus headed to Boston.
State police in Connecticut say the frightening scenario began to play out Sunday afternoon, when troopers received a cell phone call at about 4 p.m. from a 32-year-old New York woman who said she was trapped inside the luggage compartment located under the bus.
Later, according to a police report, troopers were able to find and pull over the vehicle on Route 84 and rescue the victim, who was reportedly not injured and declined an offer for medical attention. She told officers “that she had been purposely locked inside [the bus] by a female driver while attempting to retrieve items from her bag,” the report says.
The suspect has been identified as 49-year-old Wendy Helena Alberty, of Brooklyn, New York. Alberty, who police say was riding on the bus at the time as a passenger and was arrested at the scene, faces charges for reckless endangerment, unlawful restraint, and breach of peace. She was held on $2,000 bail and is due back in court on August 21.
Police said an unidentified male driver was behind the wheel at the time of the arrest. He was not charged.
As for why this bizarre series of events played out this weekend, it remained unclear as of Monday morning what might have been the motivation behind the alleged incident.
Update: Peter Pan Bus Lines Vice President Christopher Crean tells MassLive that Alberty has been suspended while an investigation is underway and that the company is cooperating with police. He also expressed doubt that Alberty, an employee since 2012 who he says has a clean record, intentionally trapped the victim and said the probe would include reviewing any surveillance footage captured at the scene.
