Paramus Officials Unaware Of Bus Driver's Record: Superintendent

PARAMUS, NJ — The superintendent of the Paramus School District said she was "shocked, saddened, and angry" to learn that the driver of the school bus involved in the fatal crash Thursday had 14 license suspensions and eight speeding tickets on his driving record.

Superintendent Dr. Michelle Robinson, issuing a statement Wednesday regarding Hudy Muldrow Sr. and his driving record, said the state did not give the district anything that would lead officials to think the man may be less-than-qualified to operate a school bus.

"Nothing that was provided to the district by the state reflected that the driver had any moving violations," Robinson said.

In fact, it was the opposite.

"All we were told is that he was a driver in good standing and eligible to operate a school bus," Robinson said. "If these news reports are true, our community and our children deserved better than to receive incomplete information about his record.”

Hudy Muldrow Sr. of Paterson drove the school bus in the fatal crash that killed two people and wounded dozens more – despite the 77-year-old has a long history of driving trouble, the state Motor Vehicle Commission confirmed.

Those troubles include:

• His license was suspended 14 times since he became a licensed driver in 1975. The most recent suspension was recently, from Dec. 20, 2017 to Jan. 3, 2018, confirmed Mairin Bellack, a spokesperson with the commission. Several reports have identified Muldrow as the bus' driver.
• Six of the suspensions were because of unpaid parking tickets. His license was also suspended once for administrative reasons, Bellack confirmed.
• He also has eight speeding tickets on his record, along with one for careless driving and a 2003 summons for unsafe operation of a motor vehicle, Bellack said.

Despite his record, Muldrow still managed to have a commercial driver's license with valid passenger and school bus endorsements, Commission spokesperson Mairin Bellack said.

Muldrow Sr.,'s son, Hudy Muldrow Jr., told NJ.com that his father is a "good driver" – despite multiple reports based off of video footage that indicate Muldrow made an illegal U-Turn just moments before the fatal crash.

Muldrow Sr. was taking 38 fifth-graders from East Brook Middle School and seven adults to Waterloo Village in Bryan for a field trip when the bus collided with a dump truck on I-80 East, State Police previously said.

NJ101.5 said Muldrow Sr. reportedly made an illegal U-turn on the busy highway. He reportedly missed the exit for Waterloo Village and tried to turn around on the center medium and onto the westbound side of I-80, which is when a dump truck from Mendez Trucking reportedly hit the bus.

The Morris County Prosecutor's Office and New Jersey State Police are investigating the crash. Morris County Prosecutor's Office spokesperson Peter DiGennaro has declined to comment about possible charges against Muldrow Sr., Mendez Trucking, or other specifics regarding the investigation.

In a preliminary report released hours after the crash, New Jersey State Police said the bus got on I-80 West from southbound Route 206, and collided with the dump truck near milepost 25.1, just past Exit 25.

Two people, teacher Jennifer Williamson-Kennedy and 10-year-old student Miranda Faith Vargas died in the Mount Olive crash. Forty-three people on board were injured, some critically.

Muldrow Jr., told CBS2 his father suffered injuries to his stomach, leg, and shoulder and was conscious and alert, but in pain. He underwent surgery following the crash. Hospital sources tell the Daily Record he has been released from the hospital.

With reporting by Katie Kausch, Patch staff

Related:

• Why Was Elderly Man With 14 Suspensions Driving Doomed NJ Bus?
• Driver, 77, Revealed In Fatal NJ School Bus Crash
• Was School Bus Trying To Make Illegal U-Turn Before Rt. 80 Crash?
• Paramus Girl Still Critical Following School Bus Crash
• Memorial Created At East Brook Middle School Following Deaths
• Paramus Community Mourns Dedicated Teacher Killed In Crash
• Teacher, Student Confirmed Dead In Paramus Field Trip Bus Crash

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Photo of the Paramus school bus that crashed on I-80 in Mount Olive Thursday. (Courtesy of CBS2, used with permission)