In a dramatic incident captured on dashcam, a United Airlines plane collided with a bakery truck on the New Jersey Turnpike during its approach to Newark Airport. The alarming footage has drawn widespread attention.
Inside the truck, the driver, who is employed by Baltimore’s H&S Bakery, appeared cheerful and at ease as he drove along the turnpike on a Sunday afternoon. His calm demeanor was abruptly shattered by the unfolding chaos.
As he sang along to a tune, the ominous whistling of United Airlines Flight 169 could be heard overhead. The driver looked up just in time to witness one of the plane’s wheels crashing into the truck’s window, shattering the glass upon impact.
Remarkably, the driver, whose identity remains undisclosed, emerged with only minor cuts from the frightening incident and received treatment at a local hospital, according to a report by KATV.
“It’s a miracle that everyone on that plane and the driver were unharmed. God was definitely watching over them,” remarked Chuck Paterakis, co-principal at H&S Bakery.
“To me, that everybody on that plane, everybody and the driver, God was looking after them, there’s no doubt,” said Chuck Paterakis, co-principal at H&S Bakery.
“If we did that scenario again, I don’t know if anybody could’ve survived that.”
The Boeing aircraft, which had embarked from Venice, Italy, went on to land safely on Runway 29, which runs perpendicular to the highway.
Incoming planes typically fly over the busy turnpike at a low altitude — just feet above passing cars — before touching down.
None of the 221 passengers or 10 crew members on the flight were injured, the airline said.
