‘Please put the bus in park’: Cell phone video shows UM students confronting shuttle driver accused of DUI

New cell phone video shows concerned students confronting their shuttle driver and calling authorities after they say he was allegedly driving under the influence.

The scary situation left students fearing for their lives after they noticed their shuttle driver appeared to be drunk and driving recklessly on Monday.

“What’s going on, sir?” a student asked the driver, later identified as 45-year-old Timothy Kowalewski.

“Nothing,” Kowalewski is heard saying.

It started during the students’ regular shuttle ride between the University of Miami’s Virginia Key and Coral Gables campuses when they noticed Kowalewski driving erratically.

At several points during the ride, students said he ran into trees, poles, and curbs while also making sudden U-turns and stopping on US-1 before those on board managed to convince him to pull off the busy freeway near Le Jeune Road.

A student told 7News that Kowalewski didn’t seem to care that he had crashed into a tree while attempting an illegal U-turn.

“When he made the illegal U-turn on US-1 into the gas station and ran over a palm tree and was very unbothered, that’s when I was a little concerned,” the student said.

The student had been taking the shuttle driven by Kowalewski for the whole semester up until this point.

“It’s really unsettling because this is the same driver who’s been taking me to campus this entire semester,” he said.

Video provided to 7News by a student shows the moment several students confronted Kowalewski, asking him to shift the bus into park.

“Please put the bus in park,” a student tells Kowalewski.

He initially insisted the bus was already in park when a student corrected him.

“It’s not in park. It’s not, so please put the bus in park,” said a student.

That was when students noticed a strong scent of alcohol coming from Kowalewski.

“Did you have anything to drink? Because you smell like a lot of alcohol,” a student said.

“No, it’s not that,” Kowalewski said.

As they peppered him with questions on his sobriety, Kowalewski is seen rapidly tapping his foot against the floor.

After the bus was finally brought to a safe stop, students alerted Coral Gables Police.

“I’ll have rescue arrive. When they come, he’ll check you out, OK?” an officer told a concerned student upon their arrival.

Kowalewski was then placed under arrest.

“He was under the influence when he drove us to the campus,” a student said.

The university has since issued a statement on the incident which reads:

“The incident involving a University of Miami campus shuttle is under further investigation by the Coral Gables Police Department. The safety of our students, faculty and staff members, and the greater University community remains our top priority.”

Jail records show Kowalewski faces two charges related to driving under the influence and causing a crash with damage to property.