Transit officials in Toronto are raising alarm bells after seeing a spree of incidents involving fireworks being set off inside moving buses.
A video circulating on social media drew attention to the incident on Tuesday. In it, a young man appears to set off fireworks inside a bus filled with passengers.
Stuart Green, a spokesperson for the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC), said four similar incidents had been reported across the past 10 days.
“We’re aware of a couple of recent incidents of fireworks being set off on TTC buses in Scarborough,” TTC media relations said on Twitter on Wednesday morning. “They’re being looked into and those responsible will be held accountable.
“Fortunately, there were no serious injuries and there’s plenty of video available to assist investigators.”
The clip posted online to the Instagram account 6ixbuzztv appears to show a young man holding a firework inside a moving bus with the red seats and layout of a TTC vehicle.
In the video, he produces a flame and holds it to the side of what looks like a firework.
After initially looking like it won’t light, the firework appears to go off, with the young man in the video holding it to the back of the bus. The video shows scenes of chaos as passengers crouch to avoid the flames and as the back of the bus apparently fills with smoke.
Green said the incident in the video on social media took place between 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. Tuesday on Kingston Road in Scarborough.
“It’s irresponsible, it’s reckless, it’s criminal,” he told Global News. He said police are now investigating the incident.
Toronto police confirmed an investigation was underway but said they could not comment on “the reasoning behind the incident.”
Green said the four similar incidents involved people lighting fireworks either inside subway stations or on buses. “We’re very fortunate there have been no serious injuries,” he said.
The other incidents were reported in the Upper Beaches area and Scarborough, according to Green.
Meanwhile, ATU Local 113, the union representing transit workers, issued a statement on Facebook that their members “should not have to go to work worried about being injured on the job.”
They also called the video a blatant disregard for safety of passengers that is completely unacceptable and should be treated as a criminal act.
“We hope these individuals will be held accountable and that the penalties will reflect the seriousness of their actions – including banning their access to public transit,” the statement read.
The union said the incident is an “opportunity” for TTC and City of Toronto officials to step up and demonstrate a zero-tolerance for violence on public transit.
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