Police release 911 call from woman locked in luggage compartment of bus

The Connecticut State Police has released the frantic 911 call from a woman who said she was trapped inside the luggage compartment of a Peter Pan bus this summer.

The bizarre incident happened back in August on a Peter Pan Bus Line trip from New York City to Boston. The bus was near Hartford, Connecticut, when a passenger dialed 911 and told the dispatcher that the driver had deliberately locked her inside one of the undercarriage baggage compartments.

"I have no battery left, I'm not OK," the woman says. "The bus driver locked me underneath the bus."

"OK," the dispatcher responds. "The bus driver's under the bus?"

"No, she locked me under the bus with the luggage," the woman says.

"She locked you under the bus?" the dispatcher asks.

"Yes, yes. I'm under the bus with the luggage and I'm afraid," the woman replies, her voice shaking. "I need help. Nobody knows where I am."

The woman tells the dispatcher that the bus had just made a stop in Hartford when she got off to retrieve something from her bag.

"I went to go get something and she closed the door," she says. "I'm so scared, please help."

Panic sets in and the woman begins to cry.

"Please," she says, "is someone going to be able to help?"

State troopers ultimately tracked the call and pulled the bus over on Interstate 84 in Union, Connecticut, about 30 miles northeast of Hartford. The woman refused medical attention after being helped out of the compartment.

Fellow passenger Caroline Van Allen told ABC News that the woman must have been down there for at least 45 minutes, based on when the bus had last stopped. She said at least four passengers seated near the front of the bus recalled hearing a loud noise, like "something banging frantically beneath their feet."

"She didn't have access to air and ventilation for 45 minutes. I think that would put someone over the edge," Van Allen told ABC News after the incident. "I cannot stress enough how calm she was and she did not seem angry ... she even didn't look relieved. She just looked dead in the eyes."

The bus driver, identified as 49-year-old Wendy Alberty, was arrested on charges of reckless endangerment, unlawful restraint and breach of peace. But prosecutors reportedly dropped all charges against Alberty on Tuesday. ABC News has reached out to her attorney for comment.

Peter Pan Bus Lines told Boston ABC affiliate WCVB that it had suspended Alberty while they investigated the incident. It's unclear whether Alberty remains suspended. The company did not immediately respond to ABC News' request for comment Tuesday.

ABC News' Karma Allen contributed to this report.