Automobile driver dies after colliding head-on with NJ Transit bus

NEWARK, NJ — The Essex County Prosecutor’s Office Homicide/Major Crimes Task Force, which includes detectives from the Newark Police Department, is investigating a fatal motor vehicle incident involving an NJ Transit bus and a car, according to an Aug. 17 press release from the ECPO.

The preliminary investigation indicates that, at approximately 6 a.m. on Aug. 17, an NJ Transit bus was traveling east on Hawthorne Avenue when it was hit by a 2007 Chevy Impala traveling west. It appears that the Impala crossed the double-yellow line and entered the eastbound lane, hitting the bus head-on. The incident occurred in front of Hawthorne Avenue School in Newark.

The driver of the car, Paige N. Graham, 33, of Newark, sustained fatal injuries. She was pronounced dead at the scene at 6:04 a.m.

The driver and four passengers on the bus were transported to University Hospital with minor injuries. The investigation is active and ongoing.

Additional information will be released as it becomes available.