3 Hurt As Jeep Grand Cherokee Rear-Ends Manchester School Bus: Police

MANCHESTER, NJ — Two adults and a student were injured when a Jeep hit the back of a school bus that was stopped to pick up students, Manchester police said Wednesday.

The bus driver, Kori Brennan, 25, of Lakehurst; school aide Theresa Schmidt, 44, of Whiting, and a 16-year-old female student all were taken to Community Medical Center, Toms River, for treatment of head, neck and back pain after the crash, Manchester Lt. Vincent Manco said.

The crash happened about 7:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Manco said, when a 2009 Jeep Grand Cherokee driven by Steven R. Tomasi, 35, of Waretown, hit the rear of Brennan's bus.

The bus was stopped on Route 571, also known as Ridgeway Road, about 270 feet east of Commonwealth Boulevard to pick up students at a bus stop, Manco said.

There were 10 students on board at the time, in addition to Brennan and Schmidt, he said. None of the other students reported injuries at the scene, Manco said.

Tomasi was not injured in the crash, Manco said.

Brennan complained of head and neck pain, while Schmidt and the student complained of neck and back pain, he said.

The crash impacted traffic on Route 571 for more than an hour Wednesday morning.

Assisting at the scene were: Quality Medical Transport, Priced Rite Towing, and the Manchester Township Board of Education. The crash is under investigation by Patrolman Conner Yatauro and Cpl. Douglas Higgins of the Manchester Township Police Department’s Traffic Safety Section.

Photo provided by Manchester Township police