Gilberto Lorenzo, 43, of Palisades Park, was charged with aggravated assault and multiple counts of child endangerment.
PATERSON - A school bus driver has been charged with aggravated assault and multiple counts of child endangerment after police allege he conspired with a group of teenagers to attack a 15-year-old.
Gilberto Lorenzo, 43, of Palisades Park, was arrested Wednesday after an investigation into a Dec. 5 attack in which the victim was beaten by a group of masked teenagers armed with crowbars and broomsticks.
Eight juveniles, all ages 16 or 17, conspired with Lorenzo to assault the victim, police said in a statement on Friday.
Police said Lorenzo conspired with the suspects - students he drove home from school each day - to commit the assault after an object was thrown at his bus by a group of other teens gathered along a bus route.
The teenager who was attacked "did not have any involvement in the (object-throwing) incident," police said.
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The investigation revealed that once the victim had been assaulted, Lorenzo "proceeded to pick up the juvenile suspects on the next block."
The victim was treated at a local hospital and released.
During the investigation, charges were filed against the eight students who participated in the assault, police said. The suspects were remanded to the Essex County Juvenile Detention Center in Newark at the time of their arrests, police said.
Lorenzo was charged with eight counts of child endangerment, eight counts of using a minor to commit a criminal act, aggravated assault, conspiracy, and several counts of weapons possession, police said. He was held at the Passaic County Jail.
Police did not name the school or bus company involved and did not immediately return a call seeking comment.
Anyone with any information about the attack is asked to call police Det. Cindy Carrera at 973-321-1126.
Anthony G. Attrino may be reached at tattrino@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyAttrino. Find NJ.com on Facebook.