‘Deeply Disturbing’: Boston Bus Driver Accused Of Sexually Assaulting Woman On Empty Bus After She Missed Her Stop

A Boston bus driver was arrested after allegedly sexually assaulting a passenger on the bus he was operating last week, officials said.

Ali Ennab, 45, was charged with kidnapping, assault to rape, and indecent assault and battery after he attacked a woman aboard his bus, according to the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office. 

Ennab allegedly picked up the woman from a bus stop in the city’s historic East Boston neighborhood of Orient Heights on April 24 at about 7:20 p.m. The unidentified passenger missed her stop while speaking on her cell phone.

The passenger approached Ennab, who doesn't speak English, and used a Google translator app to ask for a ride back to Orient Heights. Instead, Ennab allegedly pulled over near a beach in Winthrop, Massachusetts, a small city on the Boston Harbor. The woman then became “nervous,” prosecutors said, after realizing she was the only person remaining on the bus.

Ennab turned the bus off and then began making sexual advances on the woman, according Suffolk County Assistant District Attorney Amelia Singh.

“[Ennab] sat next to the victim and put his arm around her,” according to a statement from the district attorney’s office. “He then pulled her closer to him and kissed her cheek. The defendant told the woman he could get her a green card. She responded that she has a husband and doesn’t need a green card, then again asked him to open the doors because she wanted to get off the bus.”

Ennab, however, refused the woman’s pleas, prosecutors said. After asking her for her phone number, he allegedly locked her on the bus.

“He then began eating his dinner and refused to open the doors to let her off the bus,” the statement added.

The bus driver then allegedly “lunged” at the woman, tore her mask off, kissed, and molested her, despite her begging him “no” multiple times. 

“Me, I’m boyfriend for you, it’s okay,” he allegedly told her, according to audio of the incident, which the woman recorded on her phone.

When a bystander walked by the bus, Ennab opened its door, prosecutor said, allowing the woman to escape.

The bus’ surveillance cameras also captured the alleged assault.

“To state the obvious: A woman should be able to ride a public bus without fear of kidnap and sexual assault,” Suffolk County District Attorney Rachael Rollins said. “Women, just like all people, have the right to not be harassed, violated, harmed, or objectified. As I have said, fathers need to start speaking to their sons, and men need to tell their brothers, friends and colleagues about a new vision of masculinity where men are working to end violence against women and girls. The allegations outlined in this case are deeply disturbing.”

Ennab is employed by Paul Revere Transportation LLC as a contract driver for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. The 45-year-old driver has been suspended indefinitely, a spokesperson for the company said.  

“Paul Revere was shaken to learn about the allegations against an on-duty operator that were reported on Saturday, April 24th,” Paul Revere Transportation LLC said in a statement sent to Oxygen.com. “Our hearts go out to the alleged victim in this matter.”

Ennab was hired by the bus company on March 16, 2020. The driver worked two shifts for Paul Revere Transportation last year before being furloughed due to the coronavirus pandemic. He returned to work in October 2020 on a contract for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. The company said they hadn’t received any prior complaints about Ennab.

Ennab was arraigned on April 27. His next scheduled court appearance is May 25. His bail was set at $10,000. A judge granted prosecutors' request to prohibit Ennab from working at any transportation agency, pending trial. The Revere man’s passport was revoked, as well, and he must submit to GPS monitoring.

Ennab’s defense attorney Ross Schreiber didn’t immediately respond to Oxygen.com’s request for comment on the allegations on Friday.