Incident location, Long Island
What Happened
A coach bus traveling westbound on the Long Island Expressway flipped over after a multi-vehicle crash near Exit 16 at Greenpoint Avenue in Long Island City, Queens, killing two people and leaving at least 20 others injured late Monday night. According to amNewYork, the deadly incident unfolded at approximately 11:45 p.m. on June 29, 2026 — one of the most violent bus crashes on the LIE in recent memory.
Law enforcement sources told amNewYork that the coach bus was traveling westbound when it slammed into another vehicle, setting off a chain reaction collision that caused at least one additional car to be struck. The force of the impact caused the bus to flip over entirely. Two people aboard the bus — the driver and a passenger — were killed as a result of the crash. Police have not yet publicly released the identities of either victim.
The carnage did not end with the two fatalities. The driver of one of the other vehicles involved in the collision was transported in critical condition, according to law enforcement sources. The New York City Fire Department separately reported that two additional victims were also fighting for their lives in the immediate aftermath of the crash, bringing the total number of critically injured individuals to three. While police sources said they were still working to determine the precise number of injured victims and the full extent of their injuries, at least 20 people were believed to have been hurt, per reporting by amNewYork.
The emergency response to the scene was massive. At least 79 firefighters and Emergency Medical Services personnel were deployed to the site of the crash, alongside officers from the NYPD’s 108th Precinct and the NYPD Highway Patrol. The scale of the emergency response reflected the severity of the collision and the number of victims requiring immediate medical attention. The identities of those killed and injured had not been formally released by police at the time of initial reporting.
Traffic on the Long Island Expressway was brought to a complete standstill in the wake of the collision. Significant delays persisted on one of Long Island and Queens’ most heavily traveled corridors well into early Tuesday morning, June 30, 2026, affecting tens of thousands of commuters and overnight travelers. The exact cause of the crash remains under active investigation by authorities.
Location & Road Context
The crash occurred on the westbound Long Island Expressway (I-495) near Exit 16 at Greenpoint Avenue, at the boundary of Long Island City in Queens — one of the busiest and most congested stretches of the highway, where the LIE funnels traffic toward the Midtown Tunnel and the broader New York City road network. At nearly midnight, the location would typically see reduced but still-active traffic, including overnight commercial and charter bus activity.
According to Long Island Traffic’s own incident database, the Long Island Expressway has recorded 1,370 incidents in our records — making it one of the most crash-prone roadways in the region. In the 24 hours surrounding this crash alone, multiple separate incidents were logged on I-495, including a crash investigation involving an overturned tractor-trailer and a separate crash on I-495, underscoring the persistent danger along this corridor. For a full history of incidents on this road, see our Long Island Expressway road page.
Investigation & Legal Proceedings
As of the time of reporting, no charges have been filed and no arrests have been announced in connection with the June 29 crash. Law enforcement sources indicated that investigators were still working to establish the precise sequence of events that led the westbound coach bus to collide with another vehicle and trigger the chain reaction. The exact cause of the crash — whether speed, driver error, mechanical failure, or another factor — had not been officially determined, according to amNewYork. The NYPD Highway Patrol, which specializes in major collision investigations, responded to the scene and is expected to lead the investigative effort going forward.
Broader Impact
Coach and charter bus crashes at the western end of the Long Island Expressway carry particularly high stakes: the narrow, heavily trafficked lanes near the Queens approaches to the Midtown Tunnel leave little room for evasive maneuvers, and a flipped full-size bus can block multiple lanes simultaneously, compounding both casualties and the downstream traffic impact — as evidenced by the hours-long closure that paralyzed westbound LIE traffic through the early hours of June 30. Travelers who regularly use this corridor can track ongoing conditions and related incidents through our Long Island accidents page.