New Jersey

Several Injured After NJ Transit Bus, Church Van Crash in Newark

What to Know

  • A church van crashed into a New Jersey Transit bus in Newark early Friday, an agency official says
  • There were two robbery suspects inside the van cops were chasing when it crashed into the bus, police said; the suspects were arrested
  • There nine passengers and the driver on the bus at the time of impact, but no serious injuries were reported

A crash between a New Jersey Transit bus and a church van being chased by police following a crime spree ended in several people being taken away in ambulances, officials say.

The crash happened around 2 a.m. Friday at the corner of South 17th Street and Springfield Avenue in Newark, New Jersey's largest city, an NJ Transit official tells News 4. The official said the van hit the bus, which was going from Maplewood to Newark Penn. 

Newark police say two masked suspects in the van robbed three people in less than two hours in three different cars. After the third robbery around 1 a.m., cops in Newark said Maplewood officers spotted the van the suspects were last seen in. 

Police said they pursued the vehicle into Newark and a Maplewood patrol car crashed into another vehicle. The Essex County Sheriff's Department continued the pursuit and the van hit the bus. 

Nine passengers and the driver were on the bus at the time of impact, police said. The two suspects were arrested and a weapon was recovered, according to authorities. 

Video from the scene shows the NJT bus up against a fence with a white church van behind it. People were also seen being loaded onto ambulances while on stretchers. 

The number of people hurt wasn't immediately clear, but police said there were no serious injuries reported. 

The cause of the crash wasn't immediately known. Both vehicles were towed away from the scene around 5 a.m.

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