Bus driver and passenger die in Queens LIE rollover
From the Airport
The 35-year-old coach-bus driver and passenger Moad Farid Mohd Obaidat, 42, died in a Queens crash in which the bus overturned into eastbound traffic; reports published June 30 place it late Monday, June 29.
Reported by press, not yet linked to NYC police crash records. This may change when new official records become available or when matching details are reviewed.
Location under review.
What We Know
The 35-year-old bus driver and passenger Moad Farid Mohd Obaidat, 42, died in the crash. The coach bus overturned across the median into eastbound traffic on the Long Island Expressway. Reports differ on the initial collision sequence and count either 19 or 20 injured; investigators had not determined the cause.
Two people died, including an airline employee.
Gothamist described one person who died as the 35-year-old bus driver and the other as a male passenger. CBS New York identified the passenger as Moad Farid Mohd Obaidat, 42, of Manhattan. The Daily News reported that Obaidat worked for Royal Jordanian Airlines.
Gothamist said the bus carried 15 Royal Jordanian crew members from JFK Airport toward their hotel and that one crew member was among those killed. The Daily News said the bus driver's name was being withheld pending family notification. Gothamist reported that first responders pronounced both people dead at the scene.
Reports place the crash near Exit 16, though area descriptions vary.
Reports place the crash near Exit 16 on the Long Island Expressway in Queens, with Greenpoint Avenue named as a nearby landmark. Coverage describes the area variously as Sunnyside, Maspeth or Long Island City; the Daily News also described an elevated stretch beside Calvary Cemetery.
The Daily News and Gothamist described the bus overturning across the center median into eastbound lanes, where it became involved in further collisions.
Reports give different accounts of the collision sequence.
Articles published June 30 describe the crash as happening Monday night, supporting June 29, 2026, as the incident date. NY1 reported about 11:40 p.m.; Gothamist and the Daily News reported about 11:45 p.m.
Gothamist attributed to police an initial collision between the westbound coach bus and another vehicle, followed by a collision involving a third car before the rollover. NY1's narrative places collisions involving two vehicles before the median contact; its summary box says four vehicles were involved before the bus struck the median.
The Daily News reported that the bus driver sideswiped a Honda Accord and that a collision between the Accord and a Honda Pilot followed. It said the bus then overturned across the median. In its more detailed account, a Toyota Highlander was hit head-on, then hit from behind, with a GMC Yukon involved. Other reports describe two eastbound vehicles without specifying their types.
Injury totals varied as investigators worked to determine the cause.
The Daily News reported 19 other people hurt, while Gothamist and NY1 reported 20 injured. NY1 counted three critical injuries, two serious injuries and 15 minor injuries; Gothamist reported that one eastbound driver was in critical condition.
NY1 reported that all lanes reopened around 9:30 a.m. after closures disrupted the morning commute. NY1 and Gothamist said investigators were still determining the cause.