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A New Jersey Transit bus driver was arrested after allegedly shooting at several teenagers and critically injuring one of them after an altercation in Jersey City on Saturday night.
Charles Fieros, 48, of Staten Island, was "outside the bus when he retrieved an illegal handgun and shot at the group of males who had allegedly assaulted him," Jersey City spokeswoman Kimberly Wallace-Scalcione said, adding that the weapon recovered by Jersey City police came back as stolen.
The injured teen, a 15-year-old, arrived at a local hospital by taxi with three gunshot wounds to the abdomen and is in critical but stable condition, Wallace-Scalcione said. The altercation and alleged shooting happened along the No. 87 bus route at Jewett and Monticello avenues around 9:48 p.m.
Fieros was taken to a local hospital for treatment of injuries to his head and face and was released into police custody. He is facing seven charges, including attempted murder, unlawful possession of a handgun and receiving stolen property.
"The bus operator was immediately taken out of service without pay pending the investigation," said NJ Transit spokesman Jim Smith.