NYC-bound commuter bus, school bus, crash in NJ

OLD BRIDGE, N.J. (AP) -- A New York City-bound commuter bus and a mini school bus crashed Thursday on a state highway in New Jersey, injuring at least 17 people, two critically.

School officials said no students were on the Old Bridge school bus, which landed on its side along Route 9.

The accident occurred one day after a high-speed commuter ferry from New Jersey crashed into a dock in Manhattan, injuring dozens.

Television footage showed the commuter bus slammed into a tree, with a large branch protruding from the roof on the passenger side of the front end. The rear of the bus was pinned against a utility pole.

The commuter bus was about midway throught its route from Toms River to Wall Street in Manhattan, said Joe Orlando, spokesman for Academy Bus.

Orlando said he didn't immediately know how many passengers were aboard.

Fifteen victims from the crash were reported in stable condition at branches of Raritan Bay Medical Center, and two patients, a woman and man, were listed in critical condition at Robert Wood Johnson Medical Center.

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