Fired Long Island school bus driver Amal Hanna who was caught drinking a White Claw while transporting students home will NOT face charges after cops believe her claim that she didn’t know it was an alcoholic drink

A longtime Long Island school bus driver caught drinking on the job will not face charges even though he was fired, police say — after believing her claims that she hurriedly grabbed a hard seltzer without realized it was alcoholic.

Appearing for an interview Friday, 60-year-old Amal Hanna lamented the mistake that forced her out of her job of 15 years — removing her hat to reveal she was undergoing chemotherapy for an unspecified type of cancer.

“It was just a mistake, it was a mistake,” the new manager said, claiming that her condition prevented her from tasting certain foods and drinks – and therefore struggled to determine whether the latter are alcoholic.

Originally from Egypt, she cried as she remembered what she had lost since being fired last week immediately after the White Claw was spotted in her cup holder – told News 12“I love the kids, I love me (former employer),” through a steady stream of tears.

The interview aired shortly before a Suffolk County police spokesman revealed that police believed her story and would not press charges – as school officials continue to label her actions as ‘completely unacceptable’.

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Longtime Long Island school bus driver Amal Hanna was fired last Wednesday for drinking on the job but will not face charges, Suffolk County police said

“It was just a mistake, it was a mistake,” the new manager said in an interview Friday, where she lamented the alleged mistake that got her fired from her job of 15 years, taking off her hat to to reveal that she is undergoing chemotherapy. for an unspecified type of cancer

Hours before she was legally abandoned, Hanna expressed fear of possible charges – tearfully telling her interviewer: ‘I’m afraid I’m going to be on the streets because of a mistake.’

The former WE Transport Inc. employee described how the hard seltzer can ended up in the driver’s cup holder before it was noticed and quickly removed — along with her. Another driver, she said, completed her route.

‘I go in the morning, so happy, see the children, say “Good morning, how are you?” Give them a big smile,” she recalls – before revealing how she deviated slightly from her usual ritual on the morning in question.

Hanna said she grabbed a White Claw from the refrigerator she shares with a roommate under the impression it was a regular fruity seltzer — and drank it throughout the day before meeting the kids at Smithtown High School Wes drove home that afternoon.

That’s when the drink – labeled as a ‘hard seltzer’ in bold font on the front of the can – was discovered.

Insisting to News 12 that it was a ‘mistake,’ she told the outlet, ‘I’m afraid I’m going to be on the street because of a mistake.

The former WE Transport Inc. proceeded to produce a can that she said looked exactly like the one that fired her – before pointing out how the font warning about the drink’s alcohol content was in extremely small print at the bottom of the can.

She asked aloud:For people like me who don’t drink – how are they going to know it is alcohol?’

Adding that she needs to stay hydrated as a result of her treatment, the Egyptian national said her challenging lifestyle has left her in the dark about what the term ‘hard’ means in terms of drinks.

Through tears, she said that her condition and ongoing treatments have left her unable to taste different aspects of certain foods and drinks – including alcohol

During the interview, the cancer patient produced a can she said looked exactly like the one that discharged her – before pointing out how the font warning about the drink’s alcoholic content was in lowercase letters

Hanna has been with Plainview-based WE Transport Inc. since 2006. worked, but was immediately pulled on Wednesday after the liquor was discovered. School officials fired her that day

Hanna insisted she had lost the one bright spot in her life, and will not face any charges related to the incident, cops revealed Saturday

Several parents familiar with the driver believed her story, with one telling News 12, ‘I think it was a very honest mistake.’

The parent, who did not provide Hanna with a name, described Hanna as ‘sweet’ and added that she was always ‘friendly’ to the students.

“I can’t imagine she would ever do anything to harm them,” she said.

Police in notoriously affluent Suffolk County apparently shared the same belief, revealing in a statement to Newsday shortly after the News 12 interview aired that she would not face charges.

However, Superintendent of Schools for Smithtown Central School District, Mark Secaur, was not so understanding, telling the New York Post last week: ‘These alleged actions are completely unacceptable, and the manager has been removed immediately.’

In an earlier statement – ​​the one sent to parents within the community – the district boss also said the manager was immediately removed.

“It was confirmed that an alcoholic beverage was on board, and the driver was immediately removed from the bus, and another driver completed the route,” he wrote Wednesday.

A police investigation followed which eventually exonerated the woman.

Still, she insisted to News 12 that she lost the one bright spot in her life after the alleged flub.

‘I cried and cried, I don’t even have any more tears. It was just a mistake, it was a mistake,” she said.

Smithtown School District officials, meanwhile, maintain that she “will no longer transport any Smithtown students, even after she is legally let off the hook.”

Secaur said in a statement: ‘Our students’ safety is of the utmost importance to the Smithtown Central School District.

‘We will remain steadfast in our efforts to create a safe environment for all our students.’