16-year-old boy charged in connection with sexual assault onboard bus headed to St. Catharines

A Niagara region police cruiser can be seen above. (Wikipedia Commons)

A 16-year-old boy has been charged in connection with a sexual assault onboard a bus bound for St. Catharines on Friday morning, police say.

Police say a woman got on the bus near Morrison Street and Dorchester Road in Niagara Falls shortly after 7 a.m.

“While onboard, the victim was sexually assaulted by an unknown male,” Niagara Regional Police said in a news release.

At around 7:40 a.m., the woman got off the bus on Welland Avenue near Geneva Street in St. Catharines. Police say the accused also exited the bus at the same stop, adding that he was last seen running in a northwesterly direction.

Police arrested the teenager later on Friday and charged him with sexual assault. The charge has not been tested in court.

His identity is protected under the provisions of the Youth Criminal Justice Act.

Investigators are asking anyone with additional information to contact them or Crime Stoppers anonymously.