School bus driver charged in hit-and-run

A school bus driver was charged with a single count of criminal vehicular homicide in the death of a woman and then leaving the scene, Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman announced Wednesday.

Jason Rynders, 33, of Maple Grove was charged in connection with the collision that occurred Monday in Brooklyn Park. He is expected to make his first court appearance Thursday.

According to the criminal complaint, a man called police about 6:45 am. Monday and when police arrived he said he was driving to work on Humboldt Avenue North at about 30 miles per hour. He saw a school bus parked on the right side of the road, then he felt a bump. He got out and saw that he had hit a woman. The bus driver was outside of the bus, so he yelled at him to call 911. Instead, Rynders got back on the bus and drove away.

The woman was pronounced dead at the scene. Preliminary investigation indicated that she was hit by the front of the bus, the front axle and possibly the rear tires, the complaint states.

A surveillance camera showed the bus turning westbound from Meadowood Drive onto Humboldt Avenue. The collision is heard and the sound of a voice. The bus pulled over and Rynders ran back toward the collision. A short time later, the voice of the other driver can be heard yelling for Rynders to call 911 but, instead, he is seen getting on the bus and driving away, according to the complaint.

A video camera on the bus showed that at 6:41 a.m., the bus appeared to shudder or hit something, the complaint states.

Criminal complaint against Rynders (PDF)