Rt. 80 Bus Crash Charges Heading To Grand Jury: Report

MOUNT OLIVE, NJ — The charges filed against a bus driver in this May's deadly school bus crash on Route 80 are heading to a grand jury in the coming months, the Daily Record reported.

Hudy Muldrow, Sr., 77, faces two counts of death by auto in the car crash deaths of a student and a teacher from Paramus in May. Progress on the case has been slow as prosecutors look over the evidence, which includes medical records for all of the surviving 42 passengers on the bus. The state has also examined the bus and the dump truck, the Daily Record reported.

It does not appear that either side is working towards a plea deal, the paper said. Monday's hearing was Muldrow's first court appearance in nearly five months.

If convicted on the current charges against him, Muldrow faces 20 years in prison. Those charges are subject to the No Early Release Act, meaning Muldrow would have to serve 80 percent, or 17 years, of his sentence before being eligible for parole. He could still face additional charges, including assault by auto, depending on the grand jury's findings.

Officials say Muldrow caused the horrific crash when he cut the school bus across three lanes of Route 80 traffic in an attempt to reach an official-use-only turn-around point in the median. Through a lawyer, Muldrow has maintained his innocence.

The "accident is a truly tragic event. We mourn the loss of life and our thoughts and prayers are with the families so affected. Likewise, that extends to all those that were injured in this accident," Reisig said in a statement sent to Patch in May.

In court in June, Reisig suggested the driver of the dump truck that struck the bus might also be at fault, charging that the driver was on a bluetooth phone call at time of crash.

Reisig also said Muldrow has no incident of the crash. Muldrow told Reisig he remembers pulling onto Route 80, hearing a horn blair and pulling over to the shoulder, but nothing else.

Forty-five students, teachers and adults from East Brook Middle School in Paramus were onboard the bus, which was traveling to a school field trip at Waterloo Village in Byram Township, on May 17, the day of the crash. In addition to two fatalities, there were 43 injuries.

Muldrow was released from jail in June as the case makes its way through the courts, but was ordered to hand over his license and remain in the country.

Image: Muldrow at a June hearing. Katie Kausch for Patch.