Bronx bus riders shaken after deadly shooting, violent incidents on MTA buses
Police say 41-year-old Jonathan Pettigrew was shot and killed Monday on board a Bx36 bus near East Tremont Avenue and White Plains Road. Investigators are still searching for the shooter.
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Bronx bus riders say they are on edge after several frightening incidents aboard MTA buses this week, including a deadly shooting in Parkchester.
Police say 41-year-old Jonathan Pettigrew was shot and killed Monday on board a Bx36 bus near East Tremont Avenue and White Plains Road. Investigators are still searching for the shooter.
The violence comes as police say another man was taken into custody Thursday after allegedly vandalizing a Bx19 bus in Hunts Point. In a separate incident on the other side of the borough, another confrontation left a bus windshield cracked and sent one person to the hospital.
Some riders say they are now reconsidering how safe they feel on buses.
“I can take the train, but I feel safer on the bus, but now I am starting to not feel safe on the bus,” said Tekora Alexander, of Hunts Point.
The Transport Workers Union is calling for more safety measures, including undercover officers on buses and bulletproof dividers for operators.
“Everybody should pay their fare, but what about feeling safe when you get on a bus where you’re not gonna get shot,” said TWU President John Chiarello.
Chiarello said drivers remain vulnerable behind the wheel.
“Right now, we have nothing to stop that bullet,” he said. “We’ve been lucky. At a certain point, it’s not luck anymore.”
The MTA declined to comment on the incidents or what additional safety measures, if any, it plans to take.
