What started as a quiet early morning in Ocean View turned chaotic after a school bus used to transport students with physical or mental disabilities was swiped from a base yard and taken on a joyride through the Hawaiʻi Ocean View Estates subdivision, according to police.
Hawaiʻi Island officers say video later recovered from inside the bus shows multiple people piling into the vehicle and the bus being driven recklessly through the neighborhood in the early hours of May 2. The vehicle was eventually found at a nearby property, where officers encountered several men; one took off on foot and three were briefly detained. Authorities say one person has since been charged and others remain under investigation.
Police: Base Yard Break-In, Bus Tracked to Ocean View Property
According to the Hawaiʻi Police Department, the whole thing kicked off when a bus-company employee received a remote alert that a 2024 Ford bus was in use. Officers headed to the company’s base yard and found an office had been broken into.
Investigators later tracked the bus to a property in Ocean View, where they found four men at the scene. Police say three were taken into custody and one ran from officers. The department notes the vehicle is used to transport students with physical or mental disabilities and that they are now asking the public to help identify six individuals believed to be involved in the incident.
Charge Filed After Wild Ride Caught on Camera
Video from inside the bus shows several people entering the vehicle at about 1:30 a.m., then riding around the subdivision until about 2:20 a.m. Officers say one of the men, identified as Mathew James, was charged with second-degree unauthorized entry into a motor vehicle. His bail was set at $1,000 and he appeared in Kona District Court on Monday, according to Hawaii News Now.
Two other people detained at the scene were released pending further investigation, while police continue to review the video and follow up on leads.
How to Report Tips
Police are asking anyone with information on the case to contact Detective Donovan Kohara at (808) 960-3118 or [email protected], or call the department’s non-emergency line at (808) 935-3311.
Anonymous tips can be submitted to Crime Stoppers at (808) 961-8300, which may offer a reward of up to $1,000. The department says it will continue to investigate and pursue leads provided by the community, according to the Hawaiʻi Police Department.
