Baltimore bakery truck hit by United Airlines jet on New Jersey Turnpike, video shows
Dashboard camera video captured a United Airlines flight striking a Baltimore bakery truck on the New Jersey Turnpike on Sunday afternoon as the airplane was preparing to land at Newark Liberty International Airport.
Chuck Paterakis, senior vice president of transportation and logistics and co-principal at Baltimore-based H&S Bakery, told CBS News Baltimore that the driver was traveling to a Schmidt bakery depot in Newark and was about to exit the highway when the truck was hit.
One of the plane's landing gear tires went through the truck's window and windshield, according to Paterakis.
The driver, Warren Boardley Jr., who is from the Baltimore area, was taken to the hospital and treated for injuries caused by glass in his arm and hand. Boardley Jr. is the son of Warren Boardley Sr., who is a cornerstone of the boxing community in Baltimore and a member of the Boxing Hall of Fame.
Officials said Flight UA169, a Boeing 767, which originated from Venice, Italy, also hit a light pole as it was coming in for a landing. The plane had 221 passengers and 10 crew members on board. The pole then apparently struck a Jeep that was traveling on the turnpike as well, New Jersey State Police said.
The video obtained by CBS News Baltimore showed the jet flying low over the turnpike before landing around 2 p.m.
"Upon its final approach into Newark International Airport, United flight 169 came into contact with a light pole. The aircraft landed safely, taxied to the gate normally and no passengers or crew were injured," United stated. "Our maintenance team is evaluating damage to the aircraft and we will investigate how this occurred."
A preliminary investigation by the New Jersey State Police indicated that a tire from the plane's landing gear and "the underside of the plane" hit both the pole and the bakery truck.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is looking into the incident, which it called an "accident."
"The investigation will examine multiple factors, including flight operations, meteorological conditions, human performance, crew resource management, aircraft performance and air traffic control," the agency said in a statement Monday.
"We don't quite know yet what happened," Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Monday morning. "We don't want to get ahead of the facts, and oftentimes the first facts are wrong, but obviously there were issues with a couple of vehicles on the roadway."
"We have no further comment at this time. We are relieved that everyone is safe, as that is our top priority. We are working closely with all regulatory authorities to gather additional information, and will continue to cooperate fully with the ongoing investigation," H&S Bakery said in a statement Monday.
