School Bus Driver In Howell Crash Cited For Careless Driving

HOWELL, NJ — A school bus driver who apparently fell asleep at the wheel of his empty bus and slammed into a house in Howell has been issued two driving citations by police.

Two summonses were issued to the driver - for careless driving and failure to wear a seatbelt, police said.

A house on Asbury Avenue in Howell was temporarily uninhabitable after the bus driven by the 22-year-old driver crashed into it Tuesday morning, Howell police said.

A mother with two young children, ages 4 and 6, were home at the time but were not injured, and were temporarily staying out of the home, Lt. Christian Atunez said Tuesday.

There were no students on the bus, which was being driven for the Freehold Regional High School District.

"The Jay’s driver had just completed a run for the district; there were no students on the bus at the time of the accident," said district spokesperson Rebecca Policastro on Tuesday.

There has been no further update on the driver's employment status with the district.

A cause for the accident hasn't been determined yet, but the driver may have fallen asleep, Atunez said.

He said the driver hit a utility pole and then a mailbox before crashing into the house. The incident brought out police, fire and Howell Office of Emergency Management personnel.

The driver was taken to Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune for lacerations to his face and head, Atunez said.

The bus was a Jay's Bus Service vehicle. The company did not return a call for comment. The last time a Jay's bus was in the news in Howell was when a driver stopped a bus with students to retrieve paperwork. See that story here.