A Sunday landing at Newark Liberty International Airport became a harrowing near-miss when a United Airlines Boeing 767-400, arriving from Venice, Italy, struck both a light pole and a bakery truck while approaching the runway.
The impact wasn’t a glancing blow. Dashcam footage from the H&S Bakery truck captured the terrifying moment the massive jet collided with the vehicle as it travelled on the New Jersey Turnpike, the roar of the engines preceding the jarring impact.
The force of the collision sent the light pole crashing down onto a passing Jeep, adding another layer of chaos to the unfolding scene. Remarkably, despite the severity of the incident, the United flight, number 169, managed to land safely.
All 221 passengers and 10 crew members aboard walked away unharmed, and the aircraft taxied to the gate with only minor damage. The driver of the bakery truck, identified as Warren Boardley, was transported to a hospital with injuries described as non-life-threatening and was later released.
The dashcam video reveals the immediate aftermath: the camera violently shaking, glass shattering, and debris filling the air inside the truck’s cab. Boardley was en route from Baltimore to a New Jersey depot when the unexpected encounter occurred.
H&S Bakery officials reported that Boardley sustained minor injuries from the broken glass. The incident has triggered a full investigation by both the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board.
Investigators have secured the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder from the aircraft, crucial components in determining the sequence of events leading up to the collision. United Airlines has stated it is cooperating fully with the investigation and has temporarily removed the flight crew from service.
A maintenance team is currently assessing the damage to the aircraft, while authorities work to understand how a large passenger jet came so close to a potentially catastrophic incident on a busy highway.
