The driver of a deadly tour bus crash on the New York State Thruway last summer allegedly told police a water bottle became stuck under the brake pedal moments before the bus crashed and killed five passengers.
Bin Shao said he discovered the water bottle when he tried to slow down as the bus approached traffic, according to a police deposition first reported by 13WHAM. The driver told police he reached down to remove it and swerved to avoid hitting another car when the bus went off the road and rolled several times.
“I believe this was caused based on the water bottle preventing me from stopping,” the deposition reads.
Judge raises bail, citing flight risk
The bus, operated by Staten Island-based M&Y Tours, was returning to New York City from a sightseeing trip to Niagara Falls on Aug. 22, 2025. There were 54 people on board when it crashed near Pembroke, Genesee County; dozens were injured and five people were killed. Many passengers were not wearing seat belts, and several were ejected when the bus overturned.
Shao, 56, of Flushing was arrested Feb. 11 and charged with five counts of criminally negligent homicide and five counts of second-degree manslaughter, both felonies. Genesee County District Attorney Kevin Finnell previously said the charges stemmed from actions and decisions Shao made while operating the bus, but declined to provide specific details.
At his first court appearance March 9, a judge increased Shao’s bail to $200,000 cash. Finnell called the driver a flight risk.
“The charges are serious, and I think the risk of flight for this defendant is fairly great, because he lives in a community that is far away in New York City, it’s a primarily Chinese-speaking community and the state police have had some difficulty locating him there,” he told reporters after court. “He spent time in China recently ― up to six months, I’m told ― so he has contacts out of the country, and we feel that, based upon that, the risk of flight is significant.”
Shao is due back in court May 11.
— Kayla Canne covers community safety for the Democrat and Chronicle with a focus on immigration, police accountability, government surveillance and how people are impacted by violence. Follow her on Instagram @bykaylacanne. Get in touch at kcanne@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Driver claims water bottle jammed brakes before deadly NY bus crash
Reporting by Kayla Canne, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle / Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
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