1 Dead, 2 Seriously Hurt In I-80 Bus Crash: Police (UPDATED)

PARSIPPANY, NJ — One person has died and two are seriously injuried following a bus and multi-car crash on Route 80 in Parsippany Thursday night, New Jersey State Police said.

Police did not release the name of the person killed, and said no additional information would be released Thursday night. Twenty people were taken to a nearby hospital with injuries ranging from critical to fair, a Morristown Medical Center spokesperson said. ABC 7 reported that the bus hit a divider.

Police told Patch the vehicle is a commercial bus registered to Adirondack Trailways in New York, and was not a school bus. The company did not answer phone calls placed at its headquarters Thursday night.

The bus was on its way into New York City, CBS 2 reported.

The crash involved a bus and three cars, police said. It happened around 7:45 p.m. near Exit 43, NJ DOT said. All express lanes are closed in both directions, and traffic was diverted onto local roadways. The local lanes of Route 80 are now open in both directions.

Parsippany police are advising drivers to avoid the highway entirely, citing extremely heavy delays.

Everyone on the bus has been accounted for, Trooper Alejando Goez said. It was unclear exactly how many people were on the bus, or where the bus was heading.

Parsippany police said they are assisting with the investigation but could not provide additional information.

This is the second serious bus crash on Route 80 in Morris County in less than a year. In May 2018, a school bus crashed while trying to make what prosecutors have called an illegal U-turn near mile marker 25.1 on the westbound lanes in Mount Olive. A student and a teacher were killed in that crash, and dozens more were injured.

This is a breaking news story. Check back for more information.

Images and video via Melinda Reyes, used with permission