Crime & Safety
Bus Driver Facing Additional Charges In VA Crash That Killed 5 MA Residents
Five MA residents, including one from Worcester, died Friday when a bus slammed into slowed traffic on Interstate 95 in Virginia.
STAFFORD COUNTY, VA — The driver of a bus that slammed into slowed traffic on Interstate 95 in Stafford County, Virginia, killing five Massachusetts residents and injuring dozens of others, is facing additional charges following a grand jury indictment this week, prosecutors said.
Jing Sheng Dong, 48, of Staten Island, New York, was indicted on three additional felony counts of involuntary manslaughter following the Friday crash, according to Stafford Commonwealth’s Attorney Eric Olsen. He was previously charged with two counts in connection with the collision.
Dong was also indicted on a misdemeanor charge of reckless driving, Olsen said.
The crash occurred around 2:35 a.m. Friday at mile marker 146 on southbound I-95, according to a Virginia State Police news release. Authorities say the bus failed to slow for traffic, which was slowing for an upcoming work zone, and struck a Chevrolet Suburban, police said.
RELATED:
- Bus Driver Charged After I-95 Crash Kills Family Of 4 In Virginia
- I-95 Crash Kills 5, Injures Dozens In VA After Bus Hits Slowing Traffic
The impact pushed the Suburban into an Acura SUV and additional vehicles. The bus also struck several other vehicles, police said.
Among those killed were a 45-year-old man, a 44-year-old woman, a 13-year-old girl and a 7-year-old boy, all from Greenfield. All were in the Acura, which police said caught fire after the collisions.
Police did not release their names, but a statement from the school the children attended in Greenfield said they were Dmitri and Ecaterina Doncev and their children, Emily and Mark.
Police on Saturday evening identified the fifth person killed as Priscilla R. Mafalda, 25, of Worcester, who was riding in the Suburban struck by the bus.
In total, about 44 people were transported to area hospitals, including three with critical injuries, according to state police. The bus was carrying about 34 occupants at the time of the collision.
After the indictments were issued, Stafford Circuit Court issued a capias, or bench warrant, ordering Dong’s arrest, Olsen said. A Virginia State Police trooper arrested Dong at the hospital on Monday afternoon.
Dong remained hospitalized on Monday while recovering from injuries suffered in the crash, Olsen said. He was ordered held without bond and remains in custody.
According to an Associated Press review, Dong was previously accused of speeding in Colonial Heights, Virginia, in November 2024 and in Annapolis, Maryland, in March, according to online court records. In the latter case, he is accused of driving a motorcoach 72 mph in a 50 mph zone.
In the Virginia case, Dong was convicted of driving 73 mph in a 55 mph zone and paid $219 in fines and court costs. He also has a pending case in Mecklenburg County, Virginia, where he was accused of trespassing in July.
Once Dong is released from the hospital, he will be taken to the Rappahannock Regional Jail pending an initial appearance before Stafford General District Court and Stafford Circuit Court, Olsen said. Typically, a defendant held at the jail makes a first court appearance by video.
Federal officials have also subpoenaed New York motor vehicle records for Dong, according to documents reviewed by Patch.
The subpoena dated May 29 orders the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles to produce records associated with Dong, including documents tied to his initial commercial driver’s license, entry-level driver training and records related to Dong in the investigation of 7 CDL Driving School.
The crash remains under investigation.
The Associated Press contributed reporting.
