Suffolk grand jury indicts former bus driver in 2025 death of five-year-old Lens Joseph

BOSTON, March 4, 2026—A Suffolk County grand jury today returned three indictments against a former Boston school bus driver in the April 2025 death of five-year-old Lens Arthur Joseph in Hyde Park, Suffolk District Attorney Kevin Hayden announced.

The jury indicted Jean Charles, 39, of Brockton on charges of involuntary manslaughter, reckless motor vehicular homicide and negligent motor vehicle homicide. 

Charles is expected to be arraigned on March 26 in Suffolk Superior Court

“This was a careful and thorough investigation incorporating all available evidence, including surveillance footage from the bus camera and testimony from eyewitnesses. The grand jurors gave full deliberation to the evidence presented to them and determined that Jean Charles must answer for the tragic death of Lens Joseph,” Hayden said.

Charles was responsible for driving Lens, a kindergartner at Up Academy in Dorchester, and Lens’s older cousin home from school. On April 28, Charles missed the proper bus stop for the two children, which would have dropped them on the same side of the street as their home. As Lens made his way in front of the bus on Washington Street, Charles failed to perform the necessary safety protocols required of him to assure that Lens crossed safely to his home. Waiting only a few seconds, and without accounting for Lens’s whereabouts, Charles drove away and immediately ran over the child, causing his death.

All charged individuals are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden’s office serves the communities of Boston, Chelsea, Revere, and Winthrop. Our office handles more than 20,000 cases a year. Nearly 160 assistant district attorneys practice in nine district and municipal courts, Suffolk Superior Court, the Massachusetts Appeals Court, the Boston and Chelsea Juvenile Courts and the Supreme Judicial Court. Our office employs some 300 people and offers a wide range of services and programs for anyone encountering the criminal justice system. We are committed to educating the public about our mission and services while focusing on crime prevention to keep the residents, workers and visitors of Suffolk County safe.

James Borghesani, Chief of Communications