What to Know
- A New Jersey bus driver is accused of watching porn in front of elementary school students.
- Franck Lafortune was later arrested and charged with obscenity to minors under the age of 18.
- Lafortune and his wife insist the incident was a misunderstanding and that he was watching a non-pornographic video a friend sent to him.
A New Jersey bus driver is accused of watching porn in front of elementary school students.
The incident occurred Monday around 8:30 a.m., investigators said. Franck Lafortune, 64, of Burlington Township, New Jersey, was dropping off students while parked outside Indian Mills Elementary School in Shamong, New Jersey. Two students said they noticed Lafortune was watching a pornographic video on his cell phone as they exited the bus.
The students told their parents who notified the school as well as New Jersey State Police. Lafortune was later arrested and charged with obscenity to minors under the age of 18. He was released pending a court appearance.
Lafortune, who is originally from Haiti and says he’s been a bus driver for nearly 20 years and is also a minister, insists that the incident was a huge misunderstanding. His wife, a teacher who did not want to be identified, spoke on his behalf.
She told NBC10 the video was sent by a friend to her husband and that it was meant to be funny, showing police breaking up a fight. She also said that while the video showed people getting their clothes ripped, there was no actual nudity.
“That was not pornography at all,” she said. “It’s on WhatsApp so they send to anybody. One of the videos, I even got it.”
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Lafortune's wife also claimed her husband has disciplined at least one of the kids who reported the incident, implying that the student may have had a vendetta against him.
"This is out there to dirty our names," she said. "We've never been in a case like that. This is ridiculous."
State Police told NBC10 they could not comment on the investigation.
