School bus, truck accident shuts down Route 35 in Middletown

An accident between a school bus and a tractor trailer has snarled traffic in Monmouth County.

Middletown Police say an empty school bus and a tractor trailer collided on southbound Route 35 just before New Monmouth Road in front of the Bottle King liquor store, closing the road down. The Patch of Middletown reports the bus hit the truck as it was parked in the roadway.

A tweet from Middletown Township Public Schools said the bus was not the district's bus. NJ.com reports that as of of 8 a.m., members of the Middletown Township Fire Department were pealing pieces of the bus away, trying to extricate the driver. First-responders were also administering oxygen and intravenous  fluids, the report said.

ABC 7 reports that the tractor trailer driver left the scene and was being sought.

The southbound lanes of the road remained closed as of 10:15 a.m.

A picture of the bus shows the front of the bus being severely damaged.