School Bus Driver Failed to Yield, Killing 11-Year-Old
A school bus driver making a right turn at 23rd Avenue and Bath Avenue failed to yield on Feb. 5, 2026, killing 11-year-old Amira Aminova as she crossed with the signal; police later charged Wawa Aurelus, 62, with failure to yield and due care violations.
What We Know
A city crash record says the driver of a bus was making a right turn at 23rd Avenue and Bath Avenue around 3:05 p.m. on Feb. 5, 2026, and lists failure to yield right-of-way. The record says the 11-year-old pedestrian was crossing with the signal at the intersection and was killed. Police and press accounts identified her as Amira Aminova, said surveillance showed her in the crosswalk with the right of way, and reported that school bus driver Wawa Aurelus, 62, was later stopped and charged with failure to yield and failure to exercise due care. CBS New York reported that police said the driver told investigators he was not aware of the crash and was not charged with leaving the scene.
The crash happened at 23rd Avenue and Bath Avenue
The city crash record places the fatal crash at 23rd Avenue and Bath Avenue in Brooklyn, ZIP code 11214, at about 3:05 p.m. on Feb. 5, 2026.
News accounts described the area differently: ABC7 and CBS New York referred to Bath Beach, while the New York Post described the location as Gravesend. All three placed the crash at the same intersection.
A right turn as an 11-year-old crossed with the signal
The city record says the bus driver was making a right turn and lists failure to yield right-of-way as a contributing factor. The pedestrian record says the 11-year-old girl was at the intersection and crossing with the signal when she was killed.
ABC7 reported that video showed the girl at the corner with the right of way before she ran across as the driver was turning, and that sun glare appeared on the windshield during the turn. CBS New York reported that surveillance showed Amira in the crosswalk, where police said she had the right of way, before the driver turned into her path.
Police told reporters that Amira was taken to Maimonides Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead.
Amira Aminova was 11 and near home
The official record identifies the person killed as an 11-year-old pedestrian. The New York Post and CBS New York identified her as Amira Aminova of Brooklyn.
CBS New York reported that Amira was just steps away from home when the driver hit her. Neighbors brought a teddy bear, candles and her favorite candy to the intersection, and ABC7 reported that workers at a corner bodega said she had bought chocolate and a soda moments before the crash.
Records and reporting differ on who was aboard the bus
The official vehicle entries describe a 2018 bus whose driver was licensed in New York and making a right turn; one entry lists one occupant. The New York Post, citing police and sources, described a 2018 Blue Bird full-size school bus with students aboard.
Failure to yield is the central documented factor
The city crash record lists failure to yield right-of-way for the crash and for the bus driver. One official vehicle entry also lists driver inexperience. Press accounts said police charged the driver with failure to yield and failure to exercise due care.
Police later stopped the driver
ABC7 reported that the driver did not remain at the scene and was located by police hours later several miles away in Brooklyn. The New York Post reported that police pulled him over shortly later. CBS New York reported that police later questioned him, said he told investigators he was not aware of the crash, and did not charge him with leaving the scene.