Boy Held in Runaway-Bus Death

An 8-year-old boy has been arrested on a homicide charge after he allegedly released the emergency brake on a school bus that rolled and fatally struck a girl, also 8, police said Tuesday.

The girl, Amber Sadiq of Brooklyn, was struck and killed by the runaway bus Monday as she was walking home from school in her Brooklyn neighborhood, police said.

Police said the boy had sneaked onto the bus through the rear emergency door and released the vehicle’s brake.

The driver told police he had legally parked and locked the empty bus. However, the rear emergency doors on school buses typically are not locked.

The boy was arrested after a police investigation and faces a charge of criminally negligent homicide, authorities said. His name was not released.

The victim and the boy lived near each other, neighbors said.