CATSKILL, NY — A Poughkeepsie man was arrested after allegedly driving past a stopped school bus on the shoulder of a road, nearly striking a child who was exiting the bus.
Neal V. Daley, 51, of Poughkeepsie, was charged with reckless endangerment in the first degree, a class D felony, endangering the welfare of a child, a class A misdemeanor, and reckless driving, an unclassified misdemeanor.
The Bureau of Criminal Investigation at Catskill, in coordination with Troop G New Scotland barracks, announced the arrest on March 7, 2026.
The investigation began on March 6, 2026, at approximately 3 p.m., after a Ravena Coeyman Selkirk School District bus was stopped with its emergency lights activated and stop arm extended while conducting a student drop-off on Route 9W in the Town of New Baltimore.
A 2015 Mazda passed a vehicle that had stopped directly behind the school bus and then continued past the bus on the shoulder while the bus was actively dropping off an 11-year-old child.
As the vehicle passed the bus, the child was exiting, and the Mazda was traveling directly toward the child.
The 11-year-old was forced to run off the shoulder into a nearby driveway to avoid being struck.
The Mazda fled the scene.
Following an investigation, the operator of the vehicle was identified as Daley.
On March 7, 2026, Daley was located, arrested, and processed at the State Police barracks in Catskill without incident.
Daley was arraigned in the Town of Coxsackie Court and released on his own recognizance.
He is scheduled to return to court on April 14, 2026, at 2 p.m.
The New York State Police were assisted in the investigation by the Albany County Sheriff’s Office, Troop G, and Troop K.
