A Royal Jordanian (RJ) crew shuttle bus crashed on the Long Island Expressway in Queens, New York, late on Monday, June 29, 2026, killing the bus driver and at least one other person. The crash happened at around 11:45 PM near the Greenpoint Avenue exit in Maspeth, as the bus carried 15 airline crew members from John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) to their hotel, according to ABC7 New York.
The crew had just landed on a flight from Amman, Jordan, that touched down at JFK shortly before 9:45 PM. Around 20 people were taken to area hospitals, including several in critical condition, and the crash shut down both directions of the expressway for hours while investigators processed the scene. The New York Police Department (NYPD) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) are both involved in the investigation, and the cause remains unconfirmed.
What Happened on the Long Island Expressway
The coach bus was traveling westbound on the Long Island Expressway when it struck two vehicles, according to police accounts cited by ABC7. The impact sent the bus over the center median and into oncoming eastbound traffic, where it struck two additional vehicles before coming to rest on its side.
The scale of the wreckage made the scene difficult for emergency crews to reach quickly. Around 100 emergency personnel responded. All lanes have since reopened, though the eastbound side near the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway remained closed for longer during the overnight cleanup.
Who Died and How Many People Were Hurt
Two people were confirmed dead: the driver of the bus and one other person. Accounts differ slightly on the identity of the second victim. ABC7 New York identified the deceased passenger as Moad Farid Mohd Obaidat, 42, of New York City, while NBC New York reported that one of Royal Jordanian’s own crew members died in the crash.
The driver of one of the vehicles struck in the eastbound lanes was taken to hospital in critical condition. Fire officials told NBC New York that 20 people were hurt in total, with several passengers on the bus and two other motorists also transported to hospitals. Royal Jordanian said the surviving injured crew members were expected to recover.
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Details Of the Royal Jordanian Flight from Amman
The crew had operated Royal Jordanian’s flight from Queen Alia International Airport (AMM), Amman, to JFK. Royal Jordanian’s own statement referred to the service as Flight RJ261, describing it as a nearly 11-hour transatlantic flight, though some local outlets reported the flight number as RJ8261.
Fifteen crew members were aboard the shuttle bus, including two Thai flight attendants, according to multiple outlets covering the crash. The flight had landed at JFK just before 9:45 PM, and the crew was en route to their layover hotel in Midtown Manhattan when the crash occurred, roughly two hours after touchdown.
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What Royal Jordanian Has Said
Royal Jordanian confirmed the crash in a statement issued from Amman. The airline said it does “not have full details yet” and is “actively monitoring and coordinating with authorities,” according to ABC7’s report on the incident.
In a separate statement reported by Simple Flying, the airline expressed condolences to those affected. It said it “expresses its profound sorrow over this unfortunate incident, offering its condolences and sympathies to the family of the deceased, and wishing the injured a speedy recovery.” Royal Jordanian added that it will continue monitoring the condition of injured crew members and providing support.
The Bus Driver’s Record Comes Under Scrutiny
Local reporting has raised questions about the bus driver’s history. According to ABC7 New York, the driver held a valid license but had seven prior moving violations, including two for speeding, two for disobeying a traffic control device, and one for dangerous driving. None of the violations were recorded while he was working as a professional driver.
ABC7 said it reached out to the driver’s employer for comment but had not received a response at the time of publication. The cause of the crash has not been officially determined, and investigators have not confirmed whether the driver’s record played any role in the collision.
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Other Airline Crew Safety Incidents
Crew safety incidents away from the aircraft are rare, but they do happen. In February 2025, a Southwest Airlines flight attendant was named in a $215,576 lawsuit after allegedly triggering a hotel sprinkler system during a layover near Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL), an incident that caused significant flooding but no fatalities.
The Long Island Expressway crash is a different kind of risk entirely, involving a third-party ground transportation provider rather than crew conduct itself. Aviation history includes other cases where crew members faced danger unrelated to flying, from British Airways Flight 149’s crew being taken hostage in Kuwait in 1990 to an American Airlines flight attendant who was killed during a layover in Denver in January 2025, a case unconnected to this crash but cited by Simple Flying as part of a broader pattern of off-aircraft risk to cabin crew. Airlines typically contract third-party bus operators for crew transportation, meaning oversight of driver vetting and training can sit outside the airline’s direct control.