STAFFORD COUNTY, Va. — The driver of a charter bus that crashed into several cars on Interstate 95 in Virginia is now facing charges in relation to the incident.
The crash occurred on May 29 at about 2:35 a.m. after traffic slowed for a work zone in Stafford County.
Jing Dong, of Staten Island, New York, was behind the wheel of the motorcoach, officials said. He was initially charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter, Virginia State Police announced. He was arrested and in custody as he was treated for his injuries at an area hospital, The Associated Press reported. Police said he may face additional charges.
Prosecutors said there was enough evidence that Dong was “driving in a criminally negligent manner,” the AP reported.
The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the crash in a separate probe from that of the state police.
NTSB board member Tom Chapman said that the bus was being driven at a high rate of speed.
“It seems fairly clear that if there was any braking there wasn’t much, because of the speed and severity of the collision,” Chapman said.
The board will look at highway conditions, possible issues with the bus, traffic management and Dong’s actions leading up to the crash, CNN reported.
“We do a 72-hour look back to see what the driver’s activities were during the days leading up to the crash, so we’re looking for sleep issues, distraction issues, potential drug and alcohol issues,” Chapman said.
A preliminary report is expected within 30 days, with a final report taking one to two years.
The bus, operated by E&P Travel Inc. from Kings Mountain, North Carolina, and was on a trip from New York to Charlotte, North Carolina, the AP said.
Who was killed, injured?
The Stafford County Fire Fighters Union said of the crash that crews “encountered a devastating scene involving multiple vehicles, numerous injured occupants, and several vehicles on fire,” CNN reported.
A Massachusetts family was driving from their home to a South Carolina wedding. The father, mother and two children were killed.
They were identified as Dmitri and Ecaterina Doncev and their children, Emily and Mark, family members said.
Priscilla Mafalda was also killed in a separate vehicle.
In addition to the five people killed, another 44 were hurt and three had critical injuries, state police said, according to CNN.
Most were treated and released.
©2026 Cox Media Group
