The driver of adeadly tour bus crash in upstate New York in August 2025has been indicted of multiple counts of homicide and manslaughter, authorities said.
The crash on Aug. 22, 2025, leftfive people dead and dozens injuredafter the bus traveling from Niagara Falls to New York City crashed, overturned and rolled onto an embankment off Interstate 90 between Rochester and Buffalo, authorities said at the time. The bus was carrying over 50 people, and multiple passengers were ejected, while others were trapped inside.
Bin Shao, 56, of Flushing in Queens, New York, was charged with five counts of criminally negligent homicide and five counts of second-degree manslaughter, both felonies. Each count corresponds to one of the five people killed in the crash, Genesee County District Attorney Kevin Finnell said at a news conference the afternoon of Feb. 13.
Finnell said the charges stemmed from actions and decisions Shao made while operating the bus, but declined to provide specific details. There is no evidence that drugs or alcohol were factors in the crash, he said.
The second-degree manslaughter charges carry a potential sentence ranging from an unconditional discharge or probation to five to 15 years in state prison. The criminally negligent homicide charges carry a possible sentence of unconditional discharge, probation or up to four years in prison.
USA TODAY has reached out to attorneys listed as representing Shao in a separate lawsuit and to the Genesee County Public Defender's Office for comment.
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New York State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation Capt. Dan Howard said Shao was arrested on Feb. 11 in Putnam Valley after he was indicted by a Genesee County grand jury.
"This was a large-scale and complex incident involving more than 300 first responders and 95 members of the New York State Police," Howard said. "Investigators conducted interviews with passengers, hospital staff and witnesses, processed extensive digital evidence, and reconstructed the crash through the Troop A Collision Reconstruction Unit."
Shao was arraigned on Feb. 13 in Genesee County Court, where he pleaded not guilty. Bail was set at $100,000. Shao is scheduled to return to court on March 9 for a discovery conference.
What caused the deadly crash?
Five people were killedanddozens more injuredon Aug. 22, 2025, when a tour bus operated by Staten Island-basedM&Y Tourswas returning to New York City from a sightseeing trip to Niagara Falls. Authorities said the bus veered off the road in Pembroke, Genesee County, and rolled multiple times.
Troopers previously said the driver became distracted moments before the crash. According to state police, Shao lost control of the bus and overcorrected, causing it to leave the roadway and overturn. There were 54 people on board at the time – 52 passengers and two employees of the tour company. Many passengers were not wearing seat belts, and several were ejected when the bus overturned.
Contributing: Jeanine Santucci, USA TODAY
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle:Tour bus driver faces charges in deadly upstate New York crash
