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A pair of parents in Massachusetts would like to know what happened to their children during bus rides home from school last month. Unfortunately, the bus driver, who is now facing a slew of criminal charges, disconnected the on-board security cameras, according to police.
Redi Gace, 54, allegedly “deviated from his route with students in the vehicle and made unauthorized stops,” Grafton School Superintendent James Cummings said in a statement.
First, on December 4, 2025, Gace was driving a 3-year-old girl home but took a road not on that particular route. Cops say he intentionally deactivated the interior camera, and that the child’s parents said she was dropped off about six minutes late. Audio from inside the bus captured the child asking to be brought home, reported the New Bedford Guide.
Then, on December 22, 2025, Gace allegedly deviated from his route again, this time while driving a 5-year-old nonverbal boy home. Cops alleged he stopped on an unauthorized road not on the route, turned off the bus engine, and left the child alone on board for approximately 11 minutes. Again, audio was recovered from that trip, and in it, the child can be heard crying.
The bus was also fitted with a GPS monitor. Police said he lied to concerned parents about the reasons why he was running behind.
Grafton Police charged Gace with two counts of kidnapping and single counts of reckless endangerment of a child, misleading a police investigation and tampering with evidence, Us Weekly confirmed. During a court hearing held on Wednesday, January 14, a plea of not guilty was entered on his behalf, reported MassLive.
Cummings said that the suspect deviated from his usual bus route with students and made a number of unauthorized stops.
“We are in direct communication with the families impacted and are offering support and resources as needed,” Cummings said. “We take this matter extremely seriously and remain committed to the safety and well-being of every student entrusted to our care.”
Gace is being held on $50,000 bail, according to online jail records.
Police have confirmed that the man they arrested was employed by AA Transportation as a school bus driver and transported children within the Grafton Public Schools system.
In a statement, an AAT spokesperson said Gace has since been fired but also noted that he passed both state and federal background checks as part of the hiring process.
The company added that the suspect was also certified by the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles school bus division.
“The police investigation leading to the arrest of the driver began when, in response to an inquiry to AAT by a Grafton school official concerning a parent complaint, AAT investigated the complaint, promptly shared the results of its investigation with the Grafton School Department and the Grafton Police and asked the police to investigate the matter further,” an AAT spokesperson told WCVB.
Police said in a statement the investigation is ongoing and “additional charges may be forthcoming.” The statement does not detail what police believe may have happened on that bus.
Anyone with concerns about their own children with Gace are asked to contact Grafton Police at (508) 839-2858.
“We encourage parents to have age-appropriate conversations with their child about this matter and to reinforce the importance of reporting any concerning behavior to a trusted adult,” police said.
