WEST BRIGHTON — A Brooklyn man commandeered an MTA express bus and took it on a joyride before crashing it into parked cars and a light pole, police said.
The driver of an X10 bus was doing his final inspection on Friday about 5:30 p.m. when Mario Casanova, 33, boarded it and demanded to be driven to the bus depot, prosecutors said.
The driver refused then Casanova simulated a gun, pushed the driver to a passenger seat and started speeding down Castleton Avenue in the bus, the NYPD said.
He crashed into three parked cars and his ride ended after he struck a utility pole at the intersection of Broadway and Castleton Avenue, prosecutors said.
Casanova, of Bay Ridge, was charged with robbery, reckless endangerment, leaving the scene of an incident without reporting, grand larceny and criminal possession of stolen property at his Monday arraignment, the Staten Island District Attorney's office said.
He was held without bail and is due back in court on Dec. 12, according to online court records.
His lawyer could not be reached for comment.
Casanova was previously arrested 11 times, the NYPD said.
