The accident occurred in New Hempstead, a suburb of New York City with a large Hasidic Jewish community. According to local media reports, the bus slammed into two parked cars while attempting to navigate a curve. The bus and at least one of the cars flew down a hill and into the corner of a house.
Photos from the crash scene showed the front of the bus mangled, one of the cars upside down, and several feet of the house crumpled from the impact.
A second car can be seen crushed against several trees, further up the hill.
Orange and County Fires described the crash as a "mass casualty incident." The bus was carrying 22 people, most of them children. Fourteen people were sent to area hospitals with injuries, including five sent to trauma centers, two of whom are in serious condition, and one of whom is reportedly receiving brain surgery.
Officials offered no immediate explanations for the crash, and did not state if there had been an arrest.
The bus was later confirmed to be operated by the Ribnitzer schools. New York’s large Hasidic Jewish community, who speak primarily Yiddish, operate their own private schools. In New York City, recent investigations have revealed widespread corruption in the Hasidic schools due to officials exploiting city programs to garner extra funds. At the same time, Hasidic students are chronically underperforming on key academic subjects.