What Happened
A woman stole a bus from a depot in Islandia at approximately 5:15 a.m. Wednesday, August 26, 2026, drove through a fence, and crashed the bus into a parked car on Bellmore Avenue roughly five minutes later, according to Suffolk County police. She then ran from the scene. Police located her about six hours after the crash and placed her under arrest.
News 12 Long Island reported that investigators determined the keys had been left inside the bus at the depot, giving the woman immediate access to the vehicle. She drove through a fence to exit the property before reaching Bellmore Avenue.
The collision on Bellmore Avenue happened near the intersection of Cedarhurst Street and Lowell Avenue. The bus struck a parked car at that location. No injuries were reported in police accounts of the crash.
After the impact, the woman abandoned the bus and fled the scene on foot. Police searched for her and took her into custody approximately six hours later, according to News 12 Long Island.
Allan Schoenfield, of Islip Terrace, spoke to News 12 at the scene. “Measures should be taken to safeguard these buses,” Schoenfield said. “It’s a heavy, big object that can hurt or kill people and do a lot of damage.”
Location & Road Context
Bellmore Avenue in Islandia runs through a mixed residential and commercial stretch of central Suffolk County. The crash point near Cedarhurst Street and Lowell Avenue sits in a neighborhood of surface streets with on-street parking. Islandia is a small incorporated village within the Town of Islip; the bus depot where the theft originated has not been publicly identified by name as of this report.
Investigation & Legal Proceedings
The woman’s name, age, and specific charges had not been released as of the News 12 report filed at 5:09 p.m. Wednesday. Police confirmed her arrest approximately six hours after she fled Bellmore Avenue. No arraignment date or bail information was included in initial police statements. The investigation into how the depot keys were left accessible inside the bus remained open as of the time of publication.
Broader Impact
Leaving keys inside an unattended commercial vehicle in New York can expose an owner or operator to civil liability if the vehicle is taken and causes damage, under New York Vehicle and Traffic Law provisions governing negligent entrustment. The depot’s identity and any employer-level consequences were not disclosed by police.