ENGLEWOOD, NEW JERSEY â A routine early-morning NJ Transit bus journey ended in a frightening crash Thursday, October 8, 2026, when the vehicle veered off the roadway, crossed a residential lawn, struck a parked car and slammed into a house in Bergen County.
The crash happened at approximately 5:45 a.m. on Rockwood Place in Englewood, near Route 4 and Grand Avenue. The Route 166 bus had only just departed NJ Transit’s Oradell garage and was heading toward its first scheduled passenger stop when the collision occurred.
The driver was rushed to a hospital. In a fortunate circumstance, no passengers were aboard the bus, and local reports indicated nobody was inside the house when the vehicle struck the property.
Doorbell camera footage captured the extraordinary sequence of events, while helicopter images later showed the large bus resting across the home’s front lawn, with emergency crews surrounding the damaged property.
Doorbell Camera Captures Bus Crossing Lawn and Striking Car
Footage shared following the collision provides a closer look at how the incident unfolded in the quiet residential neighborhood.
The bus appears to leave the road, travel across the grass and hit a parked vehicle before crashing into the house. The sequence happened in the early morning, before the bus had even picked up its first passengers.
According to Patch’s coverage of the crash, Ring doorbell footage showed the bus crossing the property and striking the car.
Images from CBS News New York’s Chopper 2 showed the NJ Transit vehicle stretched across the lawn after the impact.
The exact extent of damage to the home had not been established. The collision raised concerns about the condition of the building, with emergency crews examining the property while arrangements were made to remove the bus.
The location is important. This was not a busy terminal or a passenger loading area. The incident happened on a residential street while the bus was traveling from its garage toward the beginning of its scheduled route.
A similar collision occurred in Britain in August, when a double-decker bus struck a house in Norfolk, causing part of the property to collapse. No injuries were reported in that incident, despite the extensive structural damage.
Route 166 Driver Hospitalized as Englewood Police Investigate
NJ Transit confirmed that the bus had departed the Oradell garage at approximately 5:45 a.m. and was heading toward Van Nostrand Avenue and Grand Avenue to begin passenger service.
In a statement carried by News 12 New Jersey, the transit agency said the vehicle had “made contact with a home in the vicinity of Route 4 near Grand Avenue.”
The agency confirmed there were no customers on board when the collision happened.
The driver was taken to a local hospital for medical treatment, although officials had not disclosed the nature or severity of his injuries.
For regular commuters, Route 166 is part of NJ Transit’s Bergen County bus network, providing service between communities in northern New Jersey and New York City. The affected vehicle had not yet entered passenger service for the morning.
That timing made a significant difference to the number of people potentially exposed to the collision. Had commuters already boarded, the consequences could have been considerably more serious.
Englewood police launched an investigation, with firefighters and emergency personnel attending the scene.
According to ABC7 New York, helicopter footage showed the bus against the property as emergency responders worked at the location.
One major question remains unanswered: what caused the bus to leave the roadway?
Investigators had not established whether the collision resulted from a mechanical problem, a medical issue involving the driver, road conditions or another circumstance. There was no official confirmation supporting any particular explanation.
Authorities also had not released detailed findings about the vehicle’s condition before the crash or the exact damage sustained by the house.
For residents of Rockwood Place, the incident brought a large emergency response to their neighborhood at a time when many households would normally be starting the day.
What is confirmed is that the Route 166 bus left its intended path before reaching its first passenger stop, collided with a parked vehicle and struck a residential building, sending its driver to hospital.
The doorbell footage and images of the bus stranded across the front lawn have brought attention to an unusual morning crash that could have placed considerably more people in danger.
Updated October 8, 2026. This report is based on NJ Transit statements and local news coverage. The cause remains under investigation.
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