It was a wild scene in West Caldwell, New Jersey. Jen Maxfield reports.
A full-size school bus somehow crashed into a house in New Jersey early Friday, slamming into it so hard that it shifted the foundation and compromised the entire structure, authorities say.
The crash occurred around 9 a.m. in West Caldwell, near Terrace Place and Passaic Avenue. No kids were aboard the bus. Witnesses said the driver was led from the scene in handcuffs, after he was able to get out of the bus through the rear emergency exit.
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Cops said the driver let off students at Essex County Vocational School 3 miles away just prior to the accident.
The driver, later identified as 37-year-old Anthony Stuckey, of Newark, had minor injuries but refused medical attention at the scene, officials said. He was charged with driving while intoxicated as well as 15 counts of child endangerment — because police said he dropped off the students at school with a blood alcohol content of more than .04%
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No one was in the house at the time, but the crash shifted its foundation and compromised its structural integrity, West Caldwell police said. The 13-ton bus crashed into the home with such force, it broke through the floor boards and tilted down into the basement.
The owner of the home said he was glad no one was hurt or inside the house at the time, but that very easily could have been different.
"If I had been working from home, yes I would have been there," said Siva Thangram.
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He was on campus at Stevens Institute in Hoboken during the morning, where he works as a dean and engineering professor. He will now need to stay in a hotel for some time until the home can be repaired.
Chopper 4 showed a heavy emergency response at the scene, with firefighters standing outside on the lawn as the bus sat wedged halfway inside the single-floor home, its emergency exit door hanging open in the back.
The bus was pulled from the home later in the morning, revealing a completely crumpled front engine and shattered windshield.
Neighbors on Passaic Avenue have complained that sharp curves in the road makes this a dangerous area for drivers.
An investigation is ongoing.
