Tour bus driver pleads guilty in fatal crash on New York State Thruway

The man who was behind the wheel of a tour bus that crashed on the New York State Thruway last summer, killing five people and injuring dozens of others, accepted a plea offer Monday. Bin Shao, now 56, of New York City, pleaded guilty in Genesee County Court to five counts of criminally negligent homicide. He was the driver of a tour bus carrying 54 people from Niagara Falls to New York City on Aug. 22, 2025 when it crashed on Interstate 90 in Pembroke. Shao told investigators a water bottle rolled up under the brake pedal, preventing him from using it. After reaching down to move the bottle, he lost control of the bus. FULL STORY: https://cnycentral.com/newsletter-dai... _______________ Visit https://www.cnycentral.com/ for the news that matters most to Central New Yorkers. Stay up to date with our social media: Facebook:   / cnycentral   Twitter:   / cnycentral   Instagram:   / cnycentral   WSTM and WSTQ are Syracuse-based stations, NBC and CW Television affiliates, owned and operated by Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc. Sinclair also operates WTVH a CBS affiliate for Syracuse under a JSA/SSA agreement with Granite Broadcasting. Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc. is one of the largest and most diversified television broadcasting companies in the country today. #CNYCentral #WSTM #WSTQ #WTVH #Syracuse