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In Rensselaer County, 22-year-old Angel Pachar pleaded guilty to reckless endangerment in Pittstown Town Court on Wednesday, April 3.
It stemmed from an incident on Route 7 in Pittstown on Tuesday, Jan. 30.
Rensselaer County Sheriff’s officials said a school bus carrying students from the Brunswick-Brittonkill Central School District was stopped on the right shoulder with its red lights and stop sign activated when a white cargo van driven by Pachar nearly crashed into it.
The van then lost control, striking an eastbound box truck before going off the roadway.
Moments before the crash, a 12-year-old girl was just about to step off the bus when the driver noticed the van and quickly shut the doors.
A surveillance image released by deputies shows Pachar blowing right past where the girl would've been standing.
Pachar is an Ecuadorian national and is in the United States illegally, according to Rensselaer County Executive Steven McLaughlin. At the time of the crash, he had no driver’s license or proof of insurance.
Following his guilty plea, he was sentenced to 90 days in the Rensselaer County jail. He will then be referred to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), according to county officials.
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