What to Know
- Hudy Muldrow, 78, now faces 25 counts of second-degree assault by auto as well as 16 counts of fourth-degree assault by auto, officials say
- He was already charged with two counts of death by auto in the May 17 crash on Interstate 80
- Ten-year-old Miranda Vargas and 51-year-old teacher Jennifer Williamson were killed, and more than 40 others were injured, some seriously
The driver of a school bus packed with fifth-graders involved in last year's deadly crash on a busy New Jersey highway is facing more than three dozen new charges in connection with the wreck.
Hudy Muldrow, 78, of Woodland Park, now faces 25 counts of second-degree assault by auto as well as 16 counts of fourth-degree assault by auto, the Morris County Prosecutor's Office said. He was already charged with two counts of death by auto in the May 17 crash on Interstate 80 that left 10-year-old Miranda Vargas, a twin, and teacher Jennifer Williamson Kennedy dead, according to authorities.
The crash, which happened near exit 25 in Mount Olive Township, injured 43 others, some seriously. Muldrow was driving one of three buses, carrying fifth-graders and adults from East Brook Middle School in Paramus, on a field trip to Waterloo Village, a historic site in Stanhope.
According to an affidavit filed by New Jersey state police, Muldrow missed a turn for the Waterloo site and tried to make an illegal U-turn on the interstate. Video obtained by News 4 shows the bus crossing three lanes toward a break in the median used for authorized vehicles, such as police cars.
The bus was broadsided by a dump truck and broke apart.
Muldrow has denied he was trying to make an illegal U-turn.
Muldrow has had his license suspended 14 times. Some were for administrative reasons such as failure to pay parking tickets, but Muldrow also had eight speeding violations between 1975 and 2001, according to state motor vehicle records.
The crash spurred legislative efforts to require buses to have three-point seat belts and to require quicker notification to school districts when their bus drivers commit moving violations.
