Remember NJ Transit Death Victim John Barker, 48, Killed By A Deadly Bus Driver Outbound on Shore Road, near the White Horse Pike June 17. 2022

 Remember NJ Transit Death Victim John Barker, 48, Killed By A Deadly Bus Driver Outbound on Shore Road, near the White Horse Pike June 17. 2022

ABSECON — A Galloway Township man died after his car slammed into a New Jersey Transit bus bound for Lindenwold, Camden County, late Thursday afternoon.

John Barker, 48, was driving a 2006 Mercedes-Benz sedan southbound on Shore Road, near the White Horse Pike, when the vehicle collided with the bus at the road’s intersection with Ohio Avenue around 5:30 p.m.

The bus was on its way to Lindenwold from Atlantic City, NJ Transit spokesperson Jim Smith said Friday.

The bus was headed northbound on Shore Road and attempted to make a left turn onto Ohio Avenue, beneath the city’s railroad viaduct, when Barker’s car crashed into it. The impact crushed the sedan’s front end and caused major damage to the bus’s right side.

More than a dozen passengers and the bus driver were treated for injuries, police said.

Authorities said Thursday evening that the injured passengers were taken to Shore Medical Center, AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center, Mainland Campus and City Campus. The injuries were not life-threatening, police said.

The roadway was closed for about five hours, police said.

The bus was parked along side the road close to the marshlands before it was towed from the scene. The Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office, NJ Transit Police, Absecon Fire Department, and numerous EMS mutual aid personnel assisted city police on scene.

While an investigation remains ongoing into what caused the accident, vehicle speed is believed to have been a contributing factor, police said.

Witnesses are encouraged to contact the city police department’s Traffic Safety Unit by calling 609-641-0667 ext. 208.