A school bus aide from Reading, Pennsylvania, is accused of spraying two boys in the face with cleaning products. NBC10’s Matt DeLucia has the details.
What to Know
- Investigators say they obtained surveillance video showing Juan Antonio Dorta, a school bus aide, spraying a 12-year-old boy and a 10-year-old boy in the face with cleaning solutions.
- Dorta was arrested Monday and charged with simple assault, endangering the welfare of children and harassment.
- Both boys are students at the New Story School on 1245 Perkiomen Avenue in Reading, Pennsylvania.
A Berks County school bus aide is accused of spraying two young students in the face with cleaning solutions.
The investigation began on May 13 when Berks County Detectives received a referral from Pennsylvania’s Department of Human Services reporting a school bus aide had sprayed students with a substance believed to be a cleaning solution while they were on a school bus.
Investigators identified the aide as Juan Antonio Dorta, 52, of Reading, Pennsylvania. They also obtained surveillance video from inside the bus which they said showed him spraying a 12-year-old boy and a 10-year-old boy.
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On May 19, detectives interviewed the 12-year-old boy. The boy accused Dorta of spraying him in the eyes, face and mouth with a substance from a blue bottle. The boy also said Dorta threatened to punch him.
Detectives determined the bottle contained a glass and multi-surface cleaner with active ingredients that can cause skin corrosion, serious eye damage and irritation.
On May 28, detectives interviewed the 10-year-old boy who accused Dorta of spraying him in the face with a liquid from a green spray bottle. Detectives determined the liquid was a restroom floor and surface cleaner that contained ingredients that can cause acute oral toxicity, skin corrosion, serious eye damage and irritation.
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Both boys are students at the New Story School on 1245 Perkiomen Avenue in Reading, Pennsylvania. The school serves students with behavioral issues.
"They're not everyday kids," Donna Livengood, a Reading resident, told NBC10. "They can't figure things out. They need guidance. So I think it's terrible."
Dorta surrendered to the Berks County Detective’s Office around 1:15 p.m. on Monday and was later taken to the Berks County Sheriff’s Department.
He is charged with simple assault, endangering the welfare of children and harassment.
