A school bus with children aboard collided with a dump truck on a major New Jersey highway Thursday, leaving the bus partly demolished on its side in the median and multiple people with unknown injuries, authorities say.
Breaking: Serious injuries reported after a school bus collided with a dump truck in Mount Olive, New Jersey. pic.twitter.com/1oyYVsmzJt
— PM Breaking News (@PMBreakingNews) May 17, 2018
It’s unknown how many children were on board the school bus around the time of the crash at 10:20 a.m. on Interstate 80 westbound in Mount Olive Township, about 50 miles west of New York City.
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Photos show the bus on its side surrounded by dozens of emergency and law enforcement vehicles. The front of the bus was barely recognizable, and a mangled chunk of machinery spread from the highway shoulder lane through the guardrail and into the grassy median, where police and first responders tended to children.
The front end of the bus appeared to be crushed or ripped off, with its front end sheared off from its undercarriage.
A piece of the front end of the bus with the steering wheel visible was laying on top of the metal barrier separating the highway from the median.
BREAKING UPDATE: This is the first image we have of a major school bus accident on a New Jersey highway this morning. Children were on the bus and injuries have been reported. https://t.co/VyA0IBznGe pic.twitter.com/0ZIjZuUrBc
— NBC New York (@NBCNewYork) May 17, 2018
The highway is closed in both directions in the area, with westbound traffic diverted at exit 26. Police expect heavy traffic and delays.
Hackettstown Police Sgt. Darren Tynan told the Daily Record that multiple people were taken to the hospital. State police said they do not have details to release yet, and don’t know how serious the injuries are.
Hackettstown Medical Center told News 12 New Jersey they are receiving 10 patients from the crash.
An official told NBC News 4 that the bus may have come from East Brook Middle School in Paramus, a public school serving roughly 650 students in grades 5-8. The principal’s office hung up the phone when News 4 called seeking comment.
The school district’s office said the superintendent is working on a statement. New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy has also been briefed on the situation.
Mount Olive Mayor Rob Greenbaum told the Daily Record he rushed to the scene and was observing the rescue efforts from an overpass overlooking the highway.
“There’s an incredible emergency response from throughout Morris County and by State Police. It’s a horrific scene,” Greenbaum told the Daily Record.
Photo credit: NBC New York
