A 28-year-old school bus monitor in New Jersey has been sentenced to prison after failing to check on a 6-year-old girl she was supposed to protect.
The child, Fajr Williams, was strangled by the safety harness of her wheelchair while on the way to school... Continue reading here ▶
A jury in Somerset County found Amanda Davila guilty of endangering the welfare of a child in Fajr’s death. Fajr, who had a rare genetic disorder called Emanuel syndrome, was nonverbal and used a wheelchair.
However, the jury found Davila not guilty of the more serious charges of aggravated manslaughter and reckless manslaughter.
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During the trial, prosecutors showed video from inside the bus. The footage showed Fajr slipping lower and lower in her wheelchair, with the harness tightening around her neck.
Meanwhile, Davila was sitting at the front of the bus, wearing headphones and using her cellphone. She never turned around to check on Fajr.
Davila admitted that she made a mistake by not checking on Fajr and apologized to the family. She also said that she had been distracted by Instagram and texting. However, Davila’s defense attorney argued that Fajr’s parents did not properly secure the harness, which caused the accident.
Fajr’s mother, Najmah Nash, disagreed with this explanation. She said, “We did our job. We got my baby to the bus. She was strapped in, and that’s a fact.”
The incident happened on July 17, 2023. The Franklin Township Police responded to a call about an unresponsive 6-year-old at Claremont School. When first responders arrived, they began CPR, but Fajr was later pronounced dead at the hospital.
Investigators found that Fajr was being transported to a special program at the school in her wheelchair. Davila had secured her into the wheelchair with a four-point harness, but bumps in the road caused Fajr to slump forward, tightening the harness around her neck and blocking her airway.
Davila was reportedly using her phone and wearing headphones during the ride, which violated school policy.
Davila will be sentenced on March 7, and she faces up to 10 years in prison.