A ‘CONCERNED CITIZEN’
Bus jumper worried by tinted windows
A Dorchester man facing numerous charges for stopping his car in the middle of the Mass Pike to scold a school bus driver for having tinted windows said he’s not “crazy” — he just wanted to make sure the kids were all right.
“It takes a village to raise a child and that village is out of the loop when windows are tinted,” said Kevin Crowe, 42. “Why are they putting tinted windows on a bus?”
Crowe pulled his traffic-snarling stunt Tuesday evening in the middle lane of the westbound side of the Pike in Newton.
He swerved in front of the bus, forcing it to stop, video captured by a dash cam on the bus shows. Crowe is then seen getting out of his Toyota Corolla, approaching the bus and climbing on the hood and pointing with his index finger.
He told the Herald yesterday he just wanted to make sure the kids inside were OK. There were no children on the bus because all the METCO students who attend Weston schools had just been dropped off at their homes in Boston.
“I was not doing anything you can be concerned about,” Crowe said. “It was not road rage (but) just me being a concerned citizen. ... I’m not this crazy guy.”
The state police yesterday said Crowe, whom they declined to identify except to say he is 42 and lives in Dorchester, will receive a summons to report to Newton District Court at a future date. Charges will include: disorderly conduct, negligent operation of a motor vehicle, failure to use care in stopping and marked lanes violation, according to a release.
In addition, police have submitted a request of an immediate license suspension with the registry. As of last night, a registry official said they had yet to receive the state police request to pull Crowe’s license.
Crowe’s fourpage driving record, provided to the Herald following a public records request, shows he has been cited numerous times for speeding, lanes violations, failing to keep right or yield, surchargeable accidents, no registration sticker and multiple payment defaults.
Crowe, who said he moves furniture for a living, said a bad memory of being in a limousine with tinted windows compelled him to stop the bus.
“As a kid I took a ride in a limo and the world looked very dark (until) I rolled down the window,” he said. “Kids won’t be as happy (in a) world that looks much darker.”
The brother of the bus driver said the windows are tinted because the vehicle doesn’t have air conditioning.
“The kids would be baking in there if the windows weren’t tinted,” said Joe Rizoli, 65, of Framingham, the twin brother of driver Jim Rizoli. “My brother handled this by the book.”
Joe Rizoli said his twin has been issued a “gag order” by Weston school officials.
The Weston school superintendent and head transportation official did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
Crowe, who was reached by telephone, said he apologizes for “causing a row” on the highway, adding “I did it for the most precious members of our society.”
‘I did it for the most precious members of our society.’ — KEVIN CROWE, man who stopped traffic on Mass Pike