MONTVALE, N.J. — A school bus carrying 31 passengers, including children, overturned on the Garden State Parkway in northern New Jersey on Monday night, March 10, 2025, leaving at least one child critically injured and more than a dozen others hurt, authorities reported. The crash, which occurred around 7:30 p.m. on the northbound lanes near Exit 171 in Montvale, Bergen County, prompted a massive emergency response and temporarily shut down all lanes of the busy highway.
According to Montvale Mayor Mike Ghassali, the bus was en route from Lakewood, New Jersey, to Rockland County, New York, when it veered off the right side of the roadway and flipped onto its side near the James Gandolfini Service Area. “Thankfully, no fatalities were reported,” Ghassali stated in a Facebook update around 9 p.m. ET. “The most serious injury now has a pulse. Of the 31 total occupants on the bus, 13 were transported to local hospitals.” The mayor later clarified in a Tuesday update that one 14-year-old boy, who had been pinned under the overturned bus, was in critical condition and "fighting for his life" after being rescued by emergency crews.
New Jersey State Police provided further details, identifying the driver as 44-year-old Joseph Itzkowitz of Lakewood. The police reported that Itzkowitz sustained moderate injuries, while 14 young passengers were also injured—13 with minor injuries and one with serious injuries requiring urgent medical attention. “The bus went off the right side of the road and overturned at 7:39 p.m.,” a State Police spokesperson told ABC News. The cause of the crash remains under investigation, with authorities yet to determine what led the vehicle to leave the roadway.
Eyewitness accounts and chopper footage from CBS News painted a harrowing picture of the scene. The yellow school bus was captured lying on its side in a ditch, facing the opposite direction of traffic, with its rear emergency door open. A mass of first responders, including firefighters wielding flashlights, surrounded the wreckage as they worked to extricate passengers. One witness, cited by News 12 New Jersey, described seeing “children being loaded onto stretchers,” adding, “I saw from outside the window complex they were loading someone on the stretcher... kids so young.”
Governor Phil Murphy addressed the incident on social media shortly after the crash, stating, “I’ve been briefed on a crash on the Garden State Parkway earlier tonight near the James Gandolfini Service Area involving an overturned school bus from Lakewood.
An investigation is ongoing.” While the bus originated from Lakewood—a community known for its large Orthodox Jewish population—Mayor Ghassali clarified that it was not affiliated with the Lakewood School District. ABC 7 reported that the children aboard may have been part of a group celebrating the birth of a rabbi’s grandchild, though this has not been officially confirmed by authorities.
The New Jersey State Police reported that 15 people were treated for injuries, including the driver and 14 young adults, slightly revising earlier counts. The New York Times noted that the bus was successfully uprighted by emergency crews following the crash, but the ages of all passengers and the specific group they were associated with remain unclear as of Tuesday morning, March 11, 2025. The highway closure caused significant traffic disruptions, though all lanes were reopened by early Tuesday, according to News 12 New Jersey.
The incident has drawn comparisons to past school bus crashes in New Jersey, such as the devastating May 2018 collision on Route 80 in Mount Olive, where a bus carrying fifth-graders was struck by a dump truck, killing a student and a teacher. That crash led to legislative efforts to enhance school bus safety, including proposals for three-point seat belts and real-time driver background checks, as reported by NJ.com in 2024. It remains unknown whether the bus involved in Monday’s crash was equipped with such safety features or what role, if any, driver error or road conditions played in the incident.
As the investigation continues, officials and community leaders have expressed concern and support for those affected. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the injured and their families during this difficult time,” Ghassali said in a statement to NBC News. The critically injured 14-year-old’s condition remains a focal point of attention, with emergency services credited for their swift response in freeing him from the wreckage.
Authorities are urging anyone with information about the crash to come forward as they work to piece together the events leading up to the overturn. Updates are expected as the investigation progresses and the injured continue their recovery.
Sources: Montvale Mayor Mike Ghassali’s Facebook statements, New Jersey State Police via ABC News (abcnews.go.com), CBS News, News 12 New Jersey (newjersey.news12.com), NBC News (nbcnews.com), The New York Times (nytimes.com), ABC 7 (abc7ny.com), NJ.com, Governor Phil Murphy’s X post.
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