The Rensselaer County incident happened at around 2:45 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 30 on Route 7 in Pittstown.
Sheriff’s officials said a school bus carrying students from the Brunswick-Brittonkill Central School District was stopped on the right shoulder with its red lights and stop sign activated when a white cargo van nearly crashed into it.
The van then lost control, striking an eastbound box truck before going off the roadway.
Moments before the crash, a 12-year-old girl was just about to step off the bus when the driver noticed the van and quickly shut the doors.
A surveillance image released by deputies shows the van blowing right past where the girl would’ve been standing.
Deputies identified the van driver as 22-year-old Angel Fernando Pandiguana Pachar.
He was arrested and charged with reckless endangerment, reckless driving, and various vehicle and traffic violations.
According to Rensselaer County Executive Steven McLaughlin, Pachar is an Ecuadorian national and is in the United States illegally. At the time of the crash, he had no driver’s license or proof of insurance.