A school bus crash on the Garden State Parkway left 15 injured in Montvale, NJ. NBC New York’s Charles Watson reports from Lakewood where the bus started its journey.
A school bus overturned on a New Jersey highway en route to New York, leaving 15 people injured, including at least one child critically, according to officials.
The school bus was on the northbound side of the Garden State Parkway Monday evening in Montvale when it turned over near Exit 171, the mayor of Montvale, Mike Ghassali, said in a social media post. All lanes of the highway were closed as a result.
It was not immediately clear what caused the bus to overturn near the James Gandolfini Service Area around 7:30 p.m.; one person said his wife described it to him as "the bus just flipped." The bus could be seen on its side going into a ditch off the side of the roadway.
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WATCH HEREMayor Ghassali said there were 31 people on board the bus, 15 of whom were taken to nearby hospitals to be treated for injuries.
The extent of the injuries was not immediately clear, however Ghassali said no deaths were reported, and the "most serious injury now has a pulse." A witness said the victims appeared to be young teenagers in traditional Jewish garb, and they appeared to be alert as they were taken away.
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SIGN UP State Sen. Holly Schepisi wrote in a social media post that the bus had been heading back to New York, but exactly where was not clear. She said several children had been hurt, one of whom appeared to be critically injured.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said that he had been briefed on the crash. New Jersey State Police and the state's Department of Transportation were at the scene, with an investigation ongoing.
It was not known when the highway would reopen fully. Additional information was not available.
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This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
