Plane Strikes Light Pole and Bakery Truck at Newark Liberty International Airport

If you’ve ever been through Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey, or even just driven by it on the New Jersey Turnpike, it might not surprise you to hear that a landing plane, flying remarkably low, hit a light pole and a bakery truck.

On Sunday afternoon, a United Airlines flight, which had just returned from Italy with more than 200 passengers on board, was trying to land. Newark is located right next to one of the busiest stretches of I-95, meaning planes have to fly over several lanes of traffic during their final approach to the runway—and they really have to come in low. United Flight 169 was so low that it collided with a light pole along with a bakery truck.

The footage is jaw-dropping. Honestly, it’s surprising that the driver of the truck didn’t sustain serious injuries. Thankfully, all the passengers and crew on the plane emerged without harm. However, the light pole did leave a noticeable hole in the aircraft.

I have flown out of Newark once, and I must say, it was pretty underwhelming. The airport felt a bit rundown—almost like it could fall apart at any moment. I might be a bit biased, but I’d rather deal with JFK or LaGuardia, which, while also chaotic, have their own infamous moments—like the deadly crash that occurred in March.

Driving past Newark on the notoriously bad New Jersey Turnpike is another experience altogether. It’s frustrating, especially with large commercial planes flying overhead. If you’re underneath a plane landing on Runway 29, you better hope your vehicle has a low center of gravity. Otherwise, you might just get clipped by a 737.