Drivers in school bus/FedEx road rage video could face ‘litany’ of charges

LAKEWOOD — Police expect to question the driver of a bus caught on camera illegally passing a FedEx truck that then appears to try to run the bus off the road.

Lakewood police spokesman Lt. Gregory Staffordsmith said both drivers face a "litany" of motor vehicle charges, including reckless driving for having a "purposeful and complete disregard for public safety."  Other moving violations could include crossing the line, failure to maintain a lane and not using a traffic signal.

The bus driver, who was fired Thursday by Jay's Bus Service, is scheduled to be questioned on Friday afternoon.

Staffordsmith said they have reached out to FedEx to try to speak with their driver.

The video, which was recorded by Lyndhurst resident Stephen O’Connor and first reported by New Jersey 101.5 on Thursday, shows the school bus crossing solid yellow lines on Airport Road in order to pass the truck.

As the bus attempts to get in front of the tractor-trailer, the truck driver swerves toward the bus as they pass through an intersection. Both the bus and the truck momentarily drive on the wrong side of the road with oncoming traffic.

For the second day in a row, FedEx's only response was that “we take safety very seriously and are looking into the matter." The company, which has a shipping facility in the Lakewood Industrial Park off Airport Road, did not release the name of the driver or acknowledge whether FedEx officials had seen the video.

Contact reporter Dan Alexander at Dan.Alexander@townsquaremedia.com.