School bus was racing car before crash in Lakewood, NJ

LAKEWOOD — The driver of a school bus that crushed a vehicle in a crash on Sept. 14 had been trying to illegally pass another car for several blocks, according to a police report obtained by the Asbury Park Press.

The school bus was carrying 15 students from a private high school on Forest Avenue at 11th Street when it collided with an unoccupied parked car.

Witnesses to the crash on Forest Avenue told The Lakewood Scoop that the driver of the bus tried to cut off a driver making a left turn.

School bus crash in Lakewood (Lakewood Scoop)

The police report said the bus driver was charged with reckless driving for allegedly "racing and tailgating" a car for several blocks, according to the Press report, which said as many as five vehicles were damaged.

Lakewood police spokesman Gregory Staffordsmith told New Jersey 101.5 that a final police report was not available because the investigation continued.

Contact reporter Dan Alexander at Dan.Alexander@townsquaremedia.com or via Twitter @DanAlexanderNJ

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