Autistic Student Left Alone on Bus at Nassau BOCES

BELLMORE, NY - A 7-year-old autistic student at Nassau BOCES was left alone on a bus on Wednesday morning, the school confirmed.

Jeannine Vitucci, of North Massapequa, received a call from the school at about 10:40 a.m. that both the bus driver and matron did not notice that her son, Anthony, who is "low functioning and mostly nonverbal," was still on the bus after it dropped students at the school on 2351 Jerusalem Avenue at 9 a.m., Newsday reports.

After receiving the call, Vitucci immediately left work and asked police to accompany her as she went to pick him up, according to Newsday.

“He was happy to see me,” she told Newsday. “He said ‘Mommy’ when he saw me and I almost died.”

Nassau BOCES said in a statement that both the matron and bus driver involved were immediately removed from bus duty.

"We are vigilantly investigating this incident and will take appropriate action," the statement reads. "The safety and security of our students is our highest priority."

Vitucci claims she will be driving Anthony to school from now on after her request for a special matron was denied twice by the school district, Newsday reports.

“It’s their job to drive the bus and check it,” she told CBS2. “I don’t know what went wrong that day. How can you not account for any child, let alone a special needs child who is severely, severely impaired?” Vitucci said.