The driver involved in the deadly tour bus crash on the New York State Thruway last summer was sentenced Wednesday in Genesee County Court.
Driver sentenced
Bin Shao, 56, of Flushing, was sentenced to six months in jail, five years of probation and community service in connection with the Aug. 22, 2025, crash that killed five passengers and injured dozens of others.
Shao previously pleaded guilty to five counts of criminally negligent homicide, one count for each of the five people who died in the crash. He had originally been charged with five counts each of criminally negligent homicide and second-degree manslaughter.
Because Shao had already served nearly seven months in custody, he is not expected to serve additional jail time.
Deadly crash on the Thruway
The crash happened Aug. 22, 2025,
when a tour bus operated by Staten Island-based M&Y Tours was returning to New York City after a sightseeing trip to Niagara Falls.
New York State Police said the bus veered off the roadway in the town of Pembroke in Genesee County and rolled over multiple times.
There were 54 people aboard the bus, including 52 passengers and two tour company employees.
Five people were killed
The victims were:
- Shankar Kumar Jha, 65, of Madhubani, India
- Pinki Changrani, 60, of East Brunswick, New Jersey
- Xie Hongzhuo, 22, of Beijing, China, a Columbia University student
- Zhang Xiaolan, 55, of Jersey City, New Jersey
- Jian Mingli, 56, of Jersey City, New Jersey
What investigators said
Investigators determined Shao briefly took his attention off the road moments before the crash. According to authorities, Shao told investigators he bent down to retrieve and discard a water bottle and lost control of the bus, causing it to leave the roadway and overturn.
The crash left five people dead and dozens of others injured, making it one of the deadliest highway crashes in New York in recent years.
During sentencing, Shao apologized to the victims and their families. Defense attorneys said he has expressed remorse since the crash and will continue to live with the consequences of the tragedy.
Timeline of the case
- Aug. 22, 2025: Tour bus crashes on the New York State Thruway in Pembroke, killing five passengers.
- February 2026: Shao is arrested and charged in connection with the crash.
- July 2026: Shao pleads guilty to five counts of criminally negligent homicide.
- Sept. 9, 2026: Shao is sentenced in Genesee County Court to six months in jail, five years of probation and community service.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Tour bus driver sentenced in deadly NY Thruway crash that killed 5
