Hardworking Newark woman ID'd as 2nd victim in fatal bus crash

The second victim of the fatal Newark bus collision was identified as a city woman

NEWARK -- A hardworking city woman headed to her job at a factory early Friday was the passenger killed in the NJ Transit bus collision that also claimed the life of one driver, injured 17 others and snarled traffic for hours, family and friends said Saturday.

Jesy Garcia of Newark (center) was killed in the NJ Transit bus collision in Newark on Friday, her family says. In this family photo, Garcia, 49, is shown with her daughter, Irma Garcia and her son Larry Alvarez.(Courtesy of the Garcia family) 

Jesy Garcia, 49, of Newark was the woman killed on the No. 13 bus when it was T-boned by another bus at Raymond Boulevard and Broad Street, her daughter, Irma Garcia, told NJ Advance Media.

Irma Garcia learned of her mother's death late Friday night from investigators who traveled to her home in Elizabeth to break the news.

Family friend Jasmina Bosnjakovic said Garcia's family is "devastated" at losing a hardworking woman who was devoted to her grandchildren.

"She was absolutely crazy about her grandkids," Bosnjakovic said.

Bosnjakovic said investigators have not told her friend what caused the crash that also killed Joseph Barthelus, 70, of Union, the driver of the bus that hit Garcia's bus.

Irma Garcia and her husband William Mendez become emotional as they talk about her Irma's mother, Jesy Garcia, who lost her life from the injuries she sustained in the crash of two NJ Transit buses in Newark on August 19. Newark, NJ 8/20/16 (Robert Sciarrino | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)
 

Investigators have said they are examining the bus and area cameras and interviewing witnesses and passengers. They also have not ruled out the possibility that Barthelus suffered a medical emergency.

NJ Transit officials on Friday said Barthelus was driving the No. 59 bus that runs from Newark to Westfield, which was traveling west on Raymond Boulevard, when it struck the No. 13 bus traveling north on Broad Street from Irvington to Belleville.

Because Barthelus had just started his route, his bus was empty. The No. 13 bus had 17 passengers on board. The driver, 35-year veteran driver James Roberts, survived the crash.

Nine people are still being treated at University Hospital in Newark a day after the accident, spokesman Thaddaeus Diggs told NJ Advance Media. One person is still critical and another is in serious condition, Diggs said.

In addition to her daughter, Jessy Garcia also has a father in Newark, a son who lives in Florida, and a grandson who lives in Connecticut, Bosnjakovic said.

Staff writer Craig McCarthy contributed to this report.