MILWAUKEE — Two young sisters, left wandering the streets of Milwaukee after being dropped off at the wrong bus stop Thursday afternoon, are safe at home thanks to two good Samaritans.
Angel Kitchens said her daughters, 8-year-old Zatha and 6-year-old Amelia, were dropped off more than 20 blocks away from their grandmother's house. The girls are students at Kilbourn Elementary.
"We were on the bus, and this lady told us to get off on the wrong stop, like and then we had to get off," Amelia said. "We did not know where we were at."
"I was feeling so sad, I was trying to make my sister feel okay," Zatha said.
Kitchens said the girls wandered the streets until two people saw them crying. The Good Samaritans used a contact sticker inside the girls' backpacks to call Kitchens and safely brought them to their grandmother's house, where the bus was supposed to drop them off.
Watch: Milwaukee mother contacts TMJ4 News after elementary-aged students dropped off at wrong bus stop
"They just wandered the streets until some good person stopped and saw them crying and contacted me," Kitchens said. "It could've turned out a different way, and somebody could've just grabbed them."
Kitchens reached out to the school, the Milwaukee Public Schools district, and the bus company, First Student North, but felt her concerns were ignored.
"I called the school this morning, got nowhere; my mom came up here, got nowhere. I called the school district, they basically just blew me off, and the bus company didn't answer, so I'm like, I'm just gonna contact the news and hope for the best," Kitchens explained.
She said she contacted TMJ4 News to get the story out and to seek justice for her daughters.
A spokesperson for Milwaukee Public Schools confirmed the incident and sent us the following statement:
"Yesterday [Thursday], a substitute bus driver for First Student North made a mistake in taking attendance when picking students up from school. As a result, the substitute driver had the incorrect address and stop for the students. The driver took the students to the incorrect address. At that point, one of the students indicated that they saw their house across the street. The driver then allowed them to depart the bus for the day. This should not have happened. We are addressing this and taking appropriate action with First Student North bus company. They will do the same with their staff. We apologize for what occurred, and that the family was not able to reach someone at the school last night. The district is actively reviewing the potential for better after-hours transportation communication for families."
TMJ4 News asked First Student for an interview Friday. A spokesperson sent a statement confirming that a substitute driver was on the route, but said the students exited at an incorrect location.
The girls expressed their gratitude to the strangers who helped them.
"Thank you the people whoever saved me and my sister," Zatha said.
"Thank you for dropping us off at the right spot," Amelia said.
This story was reported on-air by Jenna Rae and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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