4th school bus crash in Lakewood, NJ in just over a month

LAKEWOOD — A crash on Route 9 Thursday night was the fourth involving a school bus in this township in recent weeks but police said the bus driver was not to blame.

A southbound 2020 Dodge Challenger swerved onto the path of a northbound school bus after the Challenger was cut off by a 2019 Ford Expedition. The Expedition had been turning into the parking lot of a banquet hall, police said.

Pictures from the crash show heavy damage to the front of the bus, including a tire dislodged from the axel.

Police said they have not confirmed the number of students on the bus but said no one suffered serious injuries.

The driver of the Challenger, Moshe Wasserman, 22, was taken to a hospital with ankle pain.

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The driver of the Expedition, Shulem Ekstein, 37, was issued a summons for careless driving.

Fourth school bus crash

A bus carrying 15 students to a private Jewish girls school on Sept. 14 struck an unoccupied parked car after "racing and tailgating" another car for several blocks, according to the police report on the crash.

On Oct. 6, a 58-year-old driver from Eatontown suffered a medical episode behind the wheel and lost control of the bus. Video shows the bus crossing the front yard of a house on Glen Avenue, hitting two parked cars.

Two days later, a school bus struck several vehicles at the intersection of Clifton Avenue and 7th Street. One of the vehicles may have caused the crash by ignoring a stop sign, according to police.

No one was injured in any of the crashes.