What happened to Fajr Atiya Williams? Parents speak out as 6-year-old New Jersey girl dies on school bus 

6-year-old Fajr Atiya Williams died after being choked by a harness that was securing her seat, during a bus ride to school. The tragic incident happened on July 17, 2023, in Franklin Township in New Jersey, shortly before 9 am local time.

Fajr Atiya Williams, who suffered from Emanuel syndrome, a rare chromosome disorder, was attending an extended program at Claremont Elementary School.

Fajr's mother, Najmah Nash, is currently seeking justice for her daughter who reportedly died after the bus monitor, Amanda Davila, failed to check on the child after securing her to the seat.

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Fajr Atiya Williams reportedly struggled for over two minutes, when the harness tightened around her neck, after the bus hit some bumps

On July 17, at around 8:44 am local time, a school bus heading to Claremont Elementary School hit a few bumps. As a result of this, a special-needs student, Fajr Atiya Williams was choked to death by her seat harness. According to a criminal complaint,

"[The bumps] made the four-point harness become tight around her neck."

The entire incident was captured on surveillance footage. The footage also caught the bus monitor being busy on her phone with her earbuds on, for about eighteen minutes, giving no attention to Fajr. Officers further stated,

"[She] appeared to be moving her mouth at that point in the video."

The criminal complaint further stated that at around 8:46 am, the harness tightened around her neck even more, and she struggled for her life, for about 2 minutes 47 seconds. Accordjng to the complaint, Fajr Atiya Williams also let out a brief shriek and hit the bus window, but to no avail, as no help reached her.

At around 9:02 am local time, the bus arrived at school and that was when Amanda realised that something wasn't right. She then freed the floor restraints of Fajr Atiya Williams' wheel chair, and asked the school staff for assistance.

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The bus monitor realized something was wrong with Fajr, only after the bus reached the school after 9 am

The 27-year-old bus monitor had been employed at the Montauk Transit LLC bus company for about seven long years. Amanda currently has been charged with second-degree manslaughter and second-degree child endangerment. The complaint also mentioned,

"At 9:02:58 a.m. a teacher entered the bus and tended to (Fajr), but appeared to not yet realize the dire nature of the situation."

The victim's family is now fighting for justice. Najmah, Fajr's grieving mother, said,

"My daughter's passing could have and should have been prevented. This was purely due to neglect and policies and procedures being disregarded."

Najmah had further described her daughter as a vibrant and happy child. A GoFundMe page has also been launched to raise funds to meet her funeral expenses and other expenses that the family would have to bear to seek justice for Fajr. The fundraiser aimed at raising $15,000, and has already raised over $16,000.