MTA Driver Killed, Three Injured, after Stolen Truck Collides with Bus in the City

William Pena, 49, a 17-year veteran of the MTA and a father of a 14-year-old daughter, was killed in February 2014 after a stolen box truck driven by Domonic Whilby, 22, crashed into the bus he was driving in Greenwich Village. According to police, Pena was thrown from the driver’s seat and landed under the bus; he was pronounced dead at the scene. Three of the bus’ passengers were treated for non-life threatening injuries. Whilby was taken to Bellvue Hospital, where he was treated for minor neck injuries and was tested for drugs and alcohol. Whilby faces ten charges, including manslaughter, grand larceny, criminal assault, criminal mischief and criminal trespass.

According to witnesses of the accident, which occurred at 5:30 a.m. at the intersection of West 14th Street and 7th Avenue, Whilby ran a red light and then hit the bus. Before coming to a final stop at the corner of the intersection, the truck and bus hit parked cars, a cab, sidewalk scaffolding, a subway entrance, and a person on a scooter.

Eddie Abdelmorty, the driver of the scooter, was uninjured. He said, “He [Whilby] didn’t even brake…He went right through the red light at the end of the block.”

According to reports, Whilby was partying late into the night before the accident. After being thrown out of a nightclub around 3:30 a.m., Whilby became angry when he couldn’t find a limousine that was supposed to take him home. Victor Vega, a superintendent of two apartment buildings on West 16th Street, said that Whilby began angrily knocking of tenant’s doors. Vega said, “He was sweating like a mad dog. He had to be high on drugs. He started kicking and banging the doors.”

When a box truck making an early morning delivery was temporarily parked beneath the Maritime Hotel, Whilby jumped into the vehicle and sped away. He crashed into the bus not far from where he stole truck.

Anthony Flores, 34, a co-worker of Pena, said that many people don’t realize the dangers bus drivers face while navigating the city’s busy streets on a daily basis. Flores said, “He was doing a hard job. People don’t understand the magnitude of the job and the obstacles we face.”

Website Resource: MTA driver killed after truck allegedly stolen by Tyson Beckford’s nephew collides with bus in Greenwich Village, NY Daily News, Marianne Garvey, February 12, 2014