🔥 NJ Transit bus caught fire after a tire blew out on the NJ Turnpike

🔥About 25 passengers evacuated as thick black smoke poured from the bus

🔥None of the passengers or the driver were injured

NEWARK — A commuter bus caught fire after a tire blew out on the New Jersey Turnpike on Tuesday afternoon.

The NJ Transit No. 114 bus from Bridgewater to the Port Authority Bus Terminal in New York was carrying 25 passengers when flames broke out around 5:30 p.m. near Newark Liberty International Airport, sending a black smoke into the air, according to NJ Transit spokesman John Chartier.

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Passengers scramble off burning bus

Passengers told ABC 7 Eyewitness News they alerted the driver to a fire after the bus hit a pothole. The driver pulled the bus over onto the ramp for Exit 14, allowing passengers to get off. They stood on the shoulder of the highway awaiting the arrival of another bus to continue their trip. No passengers or the driver were injured by the incident, according to Chartier.

Traffic was impacted by the fire with rubbernecking in both directions. Drivers exiting at Exit 14 had no place to go as the ramp was blocked by the burning bus and fire equipment.

NJ State Police are investigating the cause of the fire.

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Key points from Gov. Mikie Sherril’s first N.J. budget

• No new taxes on individuals in the proposed state budget
• $2.6B in budget solutions to close the deficit
• Nearly $2B in spending cuts across state government
• $700M in new revenue from closing corporate tax loopholes
• Plan aims to balance the budget structurally by 2028

Gallery Credit: New Jersey 101.5