14 Kids, Driver Injured In School Bus Crash On Parkway In Bergen County: Police

BERGEN COUNTY, NJ — Fourteen students were injured, one seriously, when a school bus overturned on the Garden State Parkway in Montvale on Monday night, state police said.

UPDATE: Teen Boy Is 'Fighting For His Life' After Crash, Mayor Says

The bus, driven by Joseph Itzkowitz, 44, from Lakewood, was traveling north, police said, then "traveled off the right side of the roadway and overturned."

Troopers responded around 7:40 p.m. to milepost 170.5, they said.

A child passenger had serious injuries, and 13 other juveniles sustained minor injuries, said Trooper Charles Marchan. Itzkowitz sustained moderate injuries, he said.

The bus was transporting students from New York who were studying at a yeshiva in Lakewood, The Lakewood Scoop reported. The report called the students "Bachurim," which refers to young men, typically high school age, who are studying to become rabbis, according to Chabad.org.

The Scoop report said the group was headed to New York to take part in a seven-day celebration of a wedding, called a Sheva Brachot, which means "seven blessings" and is a blessing on the newlyweds every day for a week, according to Chabad.org.

The crash remains under investigation, Marchan said.

Montvale Mayor Mike Ghassali wrote on Facebook on Monday night, "One serious injury. 31 total occupants on the bus heading to New York. 13 transported to local hospitals." Ghassali referred additional questions to the New Jersey State Police.

Just before midnight, NJ511 reported that one lane of the Parkway remained closed. No closures in that area were reported in the morning.

Patch will update this story when more information is received.