Brick Man Injured In 10-Vehicle Bus Crash: Police

By CARLY BALDWIN (Patch Staff)

SOUTH BRUNSWICK, NJ -- A Brick Township man was one of two people seriously injured Thursday morning when a commuter bus hit nine cars on Route 130, sending many of the cars sliding off the road, South Brunswick police said.

Police did not release the man’s name but said he was 35 and suffered a back fracture in the accident.

Another driver, a 61-year-old woman from Princeton, suffered a fractured pelvis and ribs, police said. Video posted by the South Brunswick police above shows the extensive damage to the cars.

The crash happened at 6:30 a.m. when a Suburban Transit bus driven by Jamal L. Penten, 30, of Lakewood, failed to stop as it approached a red light on Route 130 south at Friendship Road, police said.

The bus hit nine vehicles, all of which were stopped for a red traffic signal at the time, police said. They have not said whether Penten has been charged or ticketed in the crash. There were no passengers on the bus, police said.

Firefighters extricated the Brick man and the Princeton woman and both were taken to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital where they were listed in serious condition, police said. A third man, a 42-year-old from Dayton, was taken to Robert Wood Johnson for treatment of a head laceration and then released, they said.

Four other drivers were transported to area hospitals. Two drivers refused medical attention.

The crash closed down Rt. 130 for two hours Thursday morning. The case remains an active investigation. Anyone with information is asked to call Officer Jesse Blake at (732) 329-4000 ext. 7474.

The Monmouth Junction Fire Department, South Brunswick EMS, Cranbury First Aid Squad, Monroe EMS along with paramedics responded to the scene.