Bus Driver Sentenced to 7 Years in Prison for Death of Passenger

State Attorney Melissa Nelson announces that Jean Silney has pleaded guilty to Manslaughter in the October 2019 death of a bus passenger. He was sentenced by the Honorable Meredith Charbula to seven years in Florida State Prison followed by five years of probation at a July 15, 2022, hearing.

On June 22, 2019, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office was dispatched to Mayport Village about a traffic fatality involving a Jacksonville Transportation Authority bus and a pedestrian. The investigation revealed the victim was a passenger on the bus waiting for its departure and exchanged words with Silney, the bus driver. While waiting for the bus to leave, the victim stepped off the bus and Silney closed the doors, which trapped the victim’s arm. Silney then accelerated while the victim yelled for him to stop due to being trapped and dragged. The victim ultimately was run over by the bus twice. At the scene, Silney made several statements indicating he knew the victim’s arm was trapped when he accelerated.

The case was investigated by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and prosecuted by Assistant State Attorney Joel Cooper.