A Deer Park man who works as a school bus driver was arrested Friday after crashing his mini bus into a parked car, while driving the bus with his ability impaired by drugs, Nassau County police said.
Michael Asseng, 47, was arrested at 11:55 a.m. on Friday, after police responded to reports of an accident involving a school bus. According to police, Asseng was transporting four students in a 2001 GMC Omnibus along Midwood Avenue, when he struck a parked car. Arriving officers determined that “Asseng’s ability to operate a vehicle was impaired by drugs,” police said in a news release.
According to authorities, Asseng was driving for Acme Bus Corp., a Ronkonkoma-based company. The four children, aged 6, 8, 8, and 12, were not hurt during the accident. Cops said the students were on the way home from school, but officials did not say which school the children were being transported from.
Representatives of Acme Bus Corp. could not be reached Saturday morning for comment.
After his arrest, cops said Asseng began to have difficulty breathing and was taken to Nassau University Medical Center, where he was admitted for evaluation and treatment.
The Deer Park man has been charged with four counts of aggravated DWI under Leandra’s Law, as well as driving while ability impaired by drugs. He is set to be arraigned as soon as it is practical, cops said. It was not immediately clear if officials plan to arraign Asseng in his hospital bed.
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