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FIRST ON FOX – The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has confirmed to Fox News Digital that a non-English-speaking American citizen from China who is accused of causing a crash in Virginia that killed five people and injured scores of others Friday morning is now facing charges of driving under the influence and without a valid license.
Jing Sheng Dong, 48, of Staten Island, New York, faces five counts of involuntary manslaughter and one count of reckless driving, according to a statement from the Stafford County District Attorney’s Office.
A DHS spokesperson confirmed to Fox News Digital on Tuesday that he was charged with driving under the influence and driving without a valid license on the day of the fatal crash.
VIRGINIA BUS CRASH KILLS FIVE INVOLVED NO ENGLISH SPEAKING, SEAN DUFFY SAYS
Five people were killed in a multi-vehicle accident after a bus failed to stop, police said. (Virginia State Police)
National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) officials said on the day of the accident, Dong was driving a bus from New York to North Carolina along Interstate 95 when he hit a line of vehicles that had slowed down in a work zone “at a high rate of speed.”
A family of four from Greenfield, Massachusetts, to attend a wedding, and an unidentified 25-year-old woman from Worcester, Massachusetts were killed.
Among the family members who died were a 13-year-old girl and a 7-year-old boy, according to Transport Secretary Sean Duffy.
A number of people were taken to hospitals after the accident. (Virginia State Police)
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Dong, who did not speak English, received his driver’s license from New York in 2024, Duffy said.
Court records obtained by The Associated Press show he was previously accused of speeding 18 miles per hour over the speed limit in Colonial Heights, Virginia, in November 2024 and 22 miles per hour over the speed limit in Annapolis, Maryland, in March.
He also has a felony conviction in Mecklenburg County, Virginia, and was born under the Obama administration on Aug. 14, 2012, DHS officials said.
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“It’s unacceptable. That’s exactly why we’re holding states accountable, imposing traffic laws, and cracking down on drivers who can’t speak English,” Duffy wrote in a statement on X. “If you can’t be properly trained, read our road signs, or communicate with law enforcement, you have no business driving a bus.”
He added that investigators are reviewing Dong’s New York license records, training records and history.
Special agents of the US Department of Transportation were spotted at a home attached to E&P Travel Inc., a bus operator based in Kings Mountain, North Carolina.
State police showed up at the scene of the accident. (Virginia State Police)
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The company’s CEO is listed as Shuo Liu, who reportedly heads Triple Group Inc., based in Charlotte, North Carolina, according to North Carolina state business records obtained by WBTV.
The listed address for the Charlotte business is a bus stop at the mall, and signs at the location advertise regular shuttle service between the bus stop and New York City’s Chinatown, the outlet reported.
The bus was seen crushed on the side of the highway following the accident. (@SecDuffy via X)
“Any company, trainer, or school involved in putting an unlicensed driver on the road will be subject to strict scrutiny,” Duffy said. “My prayers are with the loved ones of the innocent souls and those who were harmed by this horrible crime.”
The NTSB has launched a task force to investigate the accident.
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IE&P Travel Inc. did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. Dong could not be reached for comment.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
