School Bus Driver Charged After 11-Year-Old Killed in Bath Beach
Police charged Wawa Aurelus with failure to yield after the city record says a driver turning a bus at 23rd Avenue and Bath Avenue failed to yield to an 11-year-old girl crossing with the signal.
What We Know
Amira Aminova, 11, was killed on Feb. 5, 2026, at 23rd Avenue and Bath Avenue in Brooklyn. The city crash record says she was crossing with the signal at the intersection when a driver in a bus was making a right turn; it lists failure to yield as a contributing factor. Police identified the driver as Wawa Aurelus, 62, and charged him with failure to yield to a pedestrian and failure to exercise due care. Early accounts described the case as a hit-and-run because the driver did not remain at the scene, while CBS later reported that police said he was not aware he had hit someone and was not charged with leaving the scene.
A right turn as Amira crossed with the signal
The crash happened at 3:05 p.m. on Feb. 5, 2026, at 23rd Avenue and Bath Avenue in Brooklyn. The city record says Amira Aminova, 11, was a pedestrian crossing with the signal at the intersection when a driver in a bus was making a right turn.
Police and news reports said Amira was taken to Maimonides Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead. ABC7 and CBS reported that surveillance video showed she was in the crosswalk with the right of way before the driver made the turn.
Neighbors remembered a child who was part of the block
Reporters identified the girl killed as Amira Aminova of Brooklyn. CBS reported that she was just steps from home when she was hit.
Workers at a corner deli told reporters Amira had bought chocolate and a soda moments before the crash. A deli worker told ABC7, “Every day she comes. She's my good customer. Quiet.”
Charges focused on yielding and due care
The city crash record lists failure to yield right-of-way as a contributing factor. CBS and ABC7 reported that police charged Wawa Aurelus, 62, with failure to yield to a pedestrian and failure to exercise due care.
Several first-day reports said the driver did not remain at the scene. CBS later reported that police said Aurelus told investigators he was not aware of the crash and that he was not charged with leaving the scene.
A Bath Avenue intersection with a crash history
The crash happened at 23rd Avenue and Bath Avenue in Bath Beach, Brooklyn. CrashCountNYC location data for Bath Avenue in Brooklyn shows 260 crashes, 140 injuries, 6 serious injuries and 2 deaths from the start of 2022 through June 1, 2026.