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A Woman Stole a Bus in New York After the Driver Told Her to Stop Smoking

The former bus driver only made it a few blocks before another bus got in her way.
Photo via Flickr user bm5express

Around 7 AM Tuesday morning, a middle-aged woman boarded the M101 bus in the Upper East Side of Manhattan and lit a cigarette.

The situation escalated quickly from there.

Police report that the woman got into an argument with the bus driver, and after communicating with her bosses about the passenger, the driver pulled over so other riders could move to a safer bus—and so she could call the cops.

As the driver was helping other passengers off the bus, the smoker allegedly jumped into the driver's seat and sped off with the vehicle. Fortunately for the citizens of New York, she only got about three blocks before another bus blocked the street, forcing the woman to stop. A dispatcher reached into the bus through the driver's side window, turned off the ignition, and boarded the bus to seize control of the situation. The woman told arresting officers that she took the vehicle because she was afraid she was being followed, according to a local NBC affiliate.

This doesn't appear to have an amateur joyride, however. Gothamist spoke to the NYC Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), which confirmed that the woman was a former bus driver who got fired last July.