PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. (CBS12) — A man whose job it was to keep special needs students safe on the school bus was arrested Thursday after allegedly abusing one of the children.

According to the Port St. Lucie Police Department (PSLPD), on March 14th, officers responded to Northport K-8 School after a report of abuse involving a 9-year-old special needs child.

The investigation revealed shocking footage of the incident, leading to the arrest of 43-year-old Abieser Pinillos, a Port St. Lucie resident.

The incident occurred the day before, on March 13th, around 4:30 PM, when the victim, a 9-year-old special needs child, was aboard the ESE school bus, surrounded by other students, the bus driver, and Pinillos, who was acting as the bus aide.

According to Port St. Lucie Police Chief Leo Niemczyk, the victim “is on that bus for a reason, because they can be challenging to manage at times and have behavioral issues.”

In the video footage, the young victim can be seen kneeling in her seat, facing her sibling, who was recording the moment. Pinillos approaches, aggressively orders the victim to sit down, then violently shoves her into the corner of her seat. The video captures the aide shaking the child aggressively while shouting at her in a visibly angry manner.

The victim’s sibling, who was also on the bus, recorded the incident.

The victim can be heard screaming, “Don’t touch me!” while Pinillos repeatedly commands, “Enough, enough. I’m serious. You cannot be standing up anymore.”

Niemczyk referred to the actions of the bus aide as “aggressive” and went on to say, “I think you could describe it as violent. Clearly lost his temper. It's completely unacceptable.”

Pinillos was arrested on Thursday without incident and later bonded out on a $5,000 bond. He faces one count of Cruelty Towards a Child – Abuse of a Child without Great Bodily Harm.

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Chief Niemczyk also expressed his personal reaction to the incident.

“Angry. I think it would make any parent feel angry. Probably any reasonable adult would feel angry seeing one of our most vulnerable members of society victimized in that way,” said Niemczyk.

Pinillos, who has a past arrest for retail theft with no conviction, was assigned to assist children on and off the bus and ensure their safety.

“When you pick a child up and thrust them down against their seat and then you grab your hands and you scream at the child, that is something that could be described as violent. I use the term aggressive,” said Niemczyk.

Fortunately, police say the victim sustained only minor injuries, including red marks on her neck and shoulder area.

“You can’t abuse children. You can’t hit them, you can’t lift them, you can’t throw them like that. And this isn’t even, you know, the parent of this child, so there’s no disciplinary issue going on here whatsoever,” Niemczyk added.

We reached out to the St. Lucie County School District with several questions, including whether Pinillos is still employed with the district, what steps have been taken since the incident came to light, and any messages they would like to share about student safety, particularly for those in the ESE program.

The district sent CBS12 News this statement:

St. Lucie Public Schools (SLPS) acknowledges the arrest of a bus aide due to child abuse allegations. Upon being informed of these allegations, he was promptly removed from his role as a bus aide and assigned temporary duties away from students, with a recommendation for termination. In accordance with state law, the school district has notified the parents of the students he interacted with regarding the arrest and charges. The district is fully cooperating with and supporting the investigation being conducted by the Port St. Lucie Police Department.

The incident has raised questions about the safety and oversight of children, particularly those in the ESE program, on school buses. Niemczyk acknowledged that while “there are always behavioral issues on buses,” incidents like this are rare, adding, “This is highly unusual.”

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