WEST CALDWELL, N.J. (PIX11) – A Newark man is suspected of driving a school bus under the influence and crashing it into a house in West Caldwell Friday morning, according to police.
Anthony Stuckey, 37, was arrested and is facing a slew of charges, including suspicion of DWI and 15 counts of endangering the welfare of a child. Stuckey had just dropped off students at West Caldwell Tech High School before the crash, police said.
Siva Thangam was at his job as a professor at Stevens Institute of Technology when the school bus veered off the road and crashed into his home. Fortunately, no one was seriously hurt, and Thangam wasn’t home.
“[Police] told me the damage was extensive,” Thangam said. “I asked him if anyone was injured, and he said nobody was injured.”
Police shut down the 200 block of Passaic Avenue all morning to investigate. Thangam said the area of his home where the bus crashed is his office.
“If I was working from home, if it was a Saturday for example, and I was working from home, I would have been there,” Thangam said.
This isn’t even the first time Thangam has had to deal with an accident on his property. He said a tree in his front yard was taken out by a driver a couple of years ago.
“There was a car that could not control itself,” said Thangam, “and hit the tree that was here and came into the bushes that were in the front.”
“The concern is there have been and continue to be a lot of accidents,” said neighbor Richard Wilcox. “Today was yet another one.”
For years, neighbors have complained about people speeding through the sharp curve in the road. Some houses on that bend are protected by guardrails, and some homeowners even have walls of large stones lined in their front yard.
“I think the speed limit is reduced here, but people don’t anticipate it and they don’t slow down,” said Wilcox.
“What can you do?” said Thangam. “There’s enough signs there saying you should drive slow.”
