WOODBRIDGE, NJ – Police in New Jersey confirmed two people are dead and three others injured after a roll-over crash of a double-decker bus on the New Jersey Turnpike Tuesday night.
According to police, on Tuesday at approximately 6:53 p.m., a Van Hool double-decker Coach bus, occupied by the driver and 22 passengers, was traveling southbound in the left lane of the outer roadway and a Ford F-150 was traveling in the left-center lane next to the bus.
“Based on the preliminary investigation, the bus driver lost directional control of the bus in the area of milepost 93.2 and struck the Ford. After the impact, the bus went off the road to the right, struck the guardrail, and overturned onto the Thomas Edison Service Area entrance ramp,” the New Jersey State Police said Wednesday in a statement. “As a result of the crash, 2 passengers on the bus sustained fatal injuries, the driver and 2 passengers sustained serious injuries, 14 passengers sustained non-life-threatening injuries, and 4 passengers sustained no injuries.”
Cheryl Johnson, 59, of Bronx, N.Y. sustained fatal injuries and was pronounced deceased on scene. Cecilia Kiyanitza, 66, of Woodbury, N.J. was airlifted to an area hospital where she was later pronounced deceased. The driver of the bus was a 56-year-old male of Westville, N.J. No injuries were reported to the driver of the Ford.