Passengers injured when bus overturns in Wayne

  Eyewitness NewsWAYNE (WABC) -- A bus carrying about 60 people overturned Saturday morning on an Interstate 80 exit ramp in Wayne, New Jersey.

The accident happened at about 7:45 a.m. when the bus overturned on a highway exit ramp and slid down an embankment.

Police believe the driver was travelling at a high rate of speed, and was unable to negotiate the curve coming off the exit ramp.

Some windows burst during the collision and the frames pinned three people, but they were quickly freed and taken to hospitals with the other victims.

The bus was chartered by Cynthia Tours based in Toronto. The passengers were a mix - some were part of a church group, others were coming down to visit family. There were also drop off locations in both Manhattan and Flatbush. The bus was attempting to come over through that overpass when it skidded into a muddy ditch.

"I just felt a big boom, people started flying," said passenger John Anthony.

Anthony was the first to climb out of the broken front windshield of the Canadian Tour Bus and call for help. He took pictures of the frantic rescue.

All 56 people on board left Toronto at 6 p.m. on Friday evening. They passengers had plans to spend their three-day Canadian Thanksgiving holiday weekend in New York. The bus then lost control and flipped over near Exit 53 on I-80 East in Wayne around 7:40 Saturday morning.

That is when passengers sprang into action. Warren Lawrence helped 15 people out of a rooftop hatch.

"The bus was lying on its side - people want to get out," Lawrence said.

The cause of the crash is still under investigation. The 51-year-old driver is Neville Larmond, who is in the hospital suffrering from a gashed arm. As a matter of routine, investigators will look into whether drugs and alcohol were involved.

The accident backed up traffic in the area for hours while law enforcement officials and emergency services vehicles attended to the scene.

Several highways connect there, and the area is known locally as the "spaghetti bowl".

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CLICK HERE TO SEE RAW AERIAL VIDEO FROM THE SCENE

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What You Can Expect to Find in Wayne, New Jersey and Local Self Storage

Wayne Hills wins despite suspension of 9 players

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (WABC) -- There was a state championship on the line Saturday for some high school football players from New Jersey on Saturday.

But nine teammates from the Wayne Hills High School team did not play in the title match after a state education official upheld their suspension.

With or without them, Wayne Hills High was still victorious, beating Old Tappan 15-12.

Before the game, the players and their lawyers wouldn't speak on camera and even Wayne Hills students here for the game would not comment.

The controversy: is the suspension just?

Should the nine Wayne Hills starters be forced to sit out the championship game?

"They made the right decision. It's more than just about the sports, it's about teaching kids responsibility, consequences for your actions. And hopefully what they learn now, later on in life it will serve them better," one parent said.

Police charged them with aggravated assault for allegedly beating up two kids from Wayne Valley High School. One was beaten unconscious.

Attorneys for the players asked that the game suspensions be lifted pending the outcome of the criminal case.

"Let it run its course. I think the players should be able to play. I think it didn't involve the school, the activities on the school or school function so I think the court should let them play," parent Bill Strohmeyer said.

School officials allowed the nine to compete in two playoff games after the arrests and those decisions generated debate among students and parents.

"Morally I think the right decision was made for them to not play tonight. And I hope the truth comes out and my heart goes out to the family of the, you know, the two kids that were hurt the most by it," another parent said outside the stadium.

A lawyer for one of the suspended players says that the quicker this blows over, the better it will be for everyone.

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Firefighers battle fire and heat in Wayne, NJ

WAYNE, New Jersey (WABC) -- More than one hundred of firefighters had their hands full in Wayne, New Jersey on Monday afternoon.

They face two very big problems they faced - flames spreading throughout the building and the high heat and humidity.

Firefighters can't shed 90 pounds of equipment fast enough to catch their breath and cool down. "Make sure the guys are rehabbed. We change out our guys frequently. That why we brought in so many towns to help us," Barry Turner said.

The fast-moving fire began around 11:45 a.m. in the upper floor or attic area of the three story condominium that is part of the Brittany Chase complex on Brittany Drive off of Berdan Avenue.

"Police came and knocked on the door hard just to say 'Come on! Come on! Get out!" said medina cajevic, who helped a 90 year old resident escape.

Others too were running from the building.

"I just saw everyone like rush out, everyone started crying," Priyal Shah said.

As everyone got out safely, some were still praying as the fire quickly spread.

"There is a common attic area in the building and once it took it up there , it went through the building," Turner said.

While this fire was most fought from outside, the heat forced dozens of firefighters to rotate out at various times, pulled into the shade and given water.

Others were brought to cooled rehab tents where they could be evaluated.

"Get them hydrated. Get them fluids. Make sure their heart rates are good. You want to do that throughout the event," Dr. James Pruden of St. Joseph's Health Care System said.

One firefighter fell through a portion of a floor, but returned to duty. Five other firefighters were treated for heat exhaustion.

As many as 20 units were damaged by the fire.

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