A COTA bus driver feared for her safety after a man boarded her vehicle near Chatterton and Noe-Bixby roads on Columbus' southeast side, grew irate and erratic, and threatened her with physical harm before fleeing in a white Dodge Ram truck. Columbus police are now asking the public for help identifying him.
What Happened on Sept. 9
According to WSYX, the man boarded the public COTA vehicle on September 9 at the Chatterton and Noe-Bixby roads intersection in southeast Columbus. Once aboard, he became irate and erratic and made direct threats of physical harm to the driver, leaving her fearing for her safety, the station's report states.
Police describe the suspect as a Black man in his mid-20s, standing 5 feet 7 inches tall and weighing about 250 pounds. He was last seen wearing a lime green shirt with a logo on the top left corner before leaving the scene in a white Dodge Ram truck, per the same account. Columbus police say their investigation concerns the suspect and the threats made against the driver, and they are asking anyone with information to call 614-645-1433.
How Ohio Law Treats Threats Against Transit Workers
Under Ohio law, knowingly causing another person to believe an offender will cause serious physical harm constitutes menacing or aggravated menacing under Ohio Revised Code § 2903.21, according to The Meade Law Group. Aggravated menacing is classified as a first-degree misdemeanor, punishable by up to 180 days in jail and fines of up to $1,000 — meaning threatening a person with physical harm, even without physical contact, can meet the statutory bar for a menacing charge.
Ohio lawmakers have also been weighing whether that bar should be higher for people who threaten transit employees specifically. Ohio Senate Bill 124, introduced in February 2025, would elevate assault against an active public transit operator to a fifth-degree felony carrying fines up to $5,000 and a potential six-month ban from riding public transit, according to BillTrack50. Under current Ohio law, assaulting a school bus operator is a felony in specified school-related circumstances; SB 124 would address assaults against active public transit operators.
A Pattern of Confrontations on COTA Vehicles
This is not the first time a COTA driver or passenger has faced a volatile confrontation on a Columbus bus. In March 2021, a COTA driver operating near Alum Creek Drive in south Columbus was hospitalized after being repeatedly punched and robbed by a passenger, an attack that led to an arrest and public outrage from transit leadership, per 10TV. More recently, a confrontation on a COTA bus in Columbus' Olde Towne East neighborhood in July 2026 escalated into a physical attack on a stroller after a parent asked the driver to intervene over unruly passengers, with COTA sharing security video with police to assist the investigation.
The threats fit into a broader national pattern. The Transport Workers Union says at least one frontline transit worker in the United States is assaulted during their shift every day.
Federal and Agency Response
COTA also maintains a specialized public safety and crisis response team trained in de-escalation and mental health intervention; the team connected 453 individuals to community support resources in 2024 while assisting operators in disruptive situations, according to the agency's own data. The unit was created amid heightened regional focus on transit safety following earlier incidents.
At the federal level, the Federal Transit Administration published General Directive 24-1 in September 2024, requiring transit authorities in urbanized areas to conduct safety risk assessments and deploy mitigations targeting assaults on transit workers, after two-thirds of surveyed agencies nationwide determined additional safety measures were needed. More recently, federal legislation introduced in September 2026 under the Safe Transit Act would require urban transit systems to allocate at least 3% of federal formula funding to safety initiatives, including driver protective barriers and onboard surveillance, according to the Office of Senator Bill Hagerty, tying transit safety compliance directly to federal grant eligibility.
For now, the case remains an active investigation, and no suspect has been identified or arrested. Columbus police are asking anyone with information about the man or the threats to call 614-645-1433.
