School bus used for disabled students stolen from Ocean View

Authorities are investigating the theft of a school bus taken from a company yard in the Hawaiʻi Ocean View Estates subdivision earlier this month.

According to police, a bus company employee received a remote notification during the early morning hours of May 2 indicating that one of the company’s vehicles was in operation.

Officers responded to the company yard on Donola Lane and discovered that an office had been broken into and that a 2024 Ford bus had also been stolen. The bus, which is used to transport students with physical and mental disabilities, was later found at a property on Tiki Lane in Ocean View, authorities said.

Investigators said officers encountered four men at the property, though one fled the scene on foot. The remaining three individuals were detained for questioning.

Law enforcement added that surveillance footage from inside the bus showed several people entering the vehicle shortly after it was stolen around 1:30 a.m.

The video allegedly captured the group driving recklessly through the subdivision for nearly an hour before stopping around 2:20 a.m. One suspect, identified as Mathew James, was charged May 3 with second-degree unauthorized entry into a motor vehicle.

His bail was set at $1,000. Court records show James made an initial appearance in Kona District Court on May 5. The two other individuals detained at the scene were later released as the investigation continued.

Authorities are asking the public for help identifying six additional people believed to be involved in the incident.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Donovan Kohara at 808-960-3118 or by email at donovan.kohara@hawaiipolice.gov. Tips may also be provided through the police department’s non-emergency line at 808-935-3311.

Anonymous tips can also be submitted to CrimeStoppers at 808-961-8300. Hawai’i police said callers may be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000.