Fury after 2,840 drivers caught passing stopped school buses in one NJ town

🔴 Cameras on 10 Woodbridge school buses caught nearly 3,000 illegal passings.

🔴 Parents and officials say it endangers children as they board and exit buses.

🔴 Lawmakers push for statewide camera laws before Gov. Murphy leaves office.

WOODBRIDGE — School buses in just one New Jersey district were passed illegally nearly 3,000 times last school year, and local officials are demanding a change to punish these dangerous drivers.

A pilot program in Woodbridge put cameras on 10 school buses from Sept. 4, 2024, through June 18, 2025. It was done in partnership with BusPatrol, a company that manufactures stop arm cameras for school buses.

Passing a stopped school bus is dangerous and illegal in every state. In New Jersey, stop arm violations can result in hefty fines and potential jail time of up to 15 days.

Despite the potential penalties, cameras recorded 2,840 vehicles that passed the buses while they were dropping off or picking up students from school.

The buses had their stop signs extended and their red lights flashing.

Woodbridge Schools Superintendent Joseph Massimino said it confirms what the district has heard from parents and bus drivers.

"These statistics are staggering and should motivate our leaders and the broader community to take action. The safety of our students is non-negotiable, and we need every tool available to protect them," Massimino said.

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Other New Jersey towns report dangerous stop arm violations

Similar complaints have been made throughout New Jersey.

In Phillipsburg, police released video footage of vehicles passing a stopped school bus. On Facebook, the police department said the drivers should expect $100 fines in the mail.

In West Windsor, parents created a petition and said they've been reporting stop arm violations for years.

"In just the first week of this school year, multiple parents reported vehicles driving past stopped school buses while children were boarding," the petition said. "Our children deserve safe passage to and from school."

Lawmakers push bill to install cameras statewide

Lawmakers in Trenton are aware it's a statewide problem.

State Assemblyman Robert Karabinchak, D-Middlesex, is trying to pass a bill (A1432) to help towns and school districts enforce state law.

"Just last week, I saw two cars go right by a bus picking up young kids going to school. I've seen this numerous times. When I saw the results from Woodbridge, it was astounding," Karabinchak said.

The bill would allow school districts to contract with private vendors to place cameras on school buses and then use that footage to automatically issue tickets to violating drivers.

A first offense would carry a fine $250, and subsequent offenses would be $500.

Karabinchak said to New Jersey 101.5 that he would reach out to every contact he has to get the bill signed into law before Gov. Phil Murphy leaves office in January.

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