By Joe Anuta
A Forest Hills driver was behind the wheel of a Chinatown bus which crashed in New Jersey Monday night, killing him and another passenger and injuring 41 people.
Wei Wang, 50, was driving a bus operated by Super Luxury Tours, traveling from Chinatown in Manhattan to Philadelphia at around 9 p.m. when the vehicle veered off into a grassy median along the New Jersey Turnpike near East Brunswick, according to the New Jersey State Police.
The bus was traveling in the outer three lanes, which are separated from the rest of the 12-lane road, when the vehicle went into the median and struck a large concrete post that supported an elevated ramp that crossed above the roadway, police said.
The impact was so great that the back of the bus was lifted into the air and struck the underside of the overpass, police said.
The bus then skidded across several lanes of traffic before coming to a halt when it struck a dirt embankment, police said.
Wang was thrown through the windshield and landed 15 feet from the vehicle, police said. Troy Nguyen, 20, of Royersford, Pa., was partially ejected from the bus.
New Jersey police arrived at the scene and attempted to revive Wang, who was later pronounced dead at the scene.
Officers and volunteer firemen pulled Nguyen back into the bus and stabilized him before medics arrived to transport him to a nearby hospital, where he later died, police said.
Two other Pennsylvania residents were listed in critical condition, according to police.
The outer portion of the highway was shut down for six hours while responding officers and medics attempted to help all of the injured passengers, police said.
A report issued by the police said that officers described the scene as “initially chaotic, with injured people everywhere.”
Medical officials will perform an autopsy on Wang.
There were 43 people on the bus, including two children ages 2 and 11.
It was the second bus accident in three days after a tour bus crashed in the Bronx, killing 15 people.
Reach reporter Joe Anuta by e-mail at januta@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-260-4566.
