'Everybody's safe. That's more important.' Edison homeowner speaks after bus crash into home

"I think what the driver did was pretty amazing," homeowner Anish Kothari said in exclusive comments to News 12.

Lanette Espy and Tony Caputo

Oct 19, 2023, 9:43 AM

Updated 355 days ago

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A bus driver is being hailed a hero after brake failure sent a Joy Transport school bus crashing into a home in Edison on Wednesday.
There were 30 children on board when the bus was headed to John Adams Middle School.
Members of the family that own the house were not home when the crash took place. However, there were members of a cleaning crew inside. None of them were injured.
Photo credit: Joseph Caruso
The crash left a huge hole on the side of the house that has been boarded up.
A security camera captured the moments of the crash:
News 12 New Jersey exclusively spoke with the homeowner, Anish Kothari, who said his wife and daughter also live at the house.
"How fortunate that all the kids are safe," he said. "I think what the driver did was pretty amazing. It cost us a lot of trouble here, but everybody's safe. That's more important."
Kothari says they lost the whole garage but says everything inside is generally safe. An electrician is now at the house to help repair the home as the family awaits to get gas and power restored. The family is also waiting to hear from a building inspector to tell them how stable the house is. There is no word yet on when the family can return to their home.
Police Chief Thomas Bryan commended the bus driver for keeping the children clear of any serious injuries. The driver’s name has not been released. News 12 was told she was not injured in the crash.
The brake issue will be inspected by the Department of Transportation.