The bus driver facing charges in the deadly Stafford County crash was granted bond Wednesday, but a second court has to weigh in before he can be released.
Jing Sheng Dong faces five involuntary manslaughter charges in connection with the May 29 crash along Interstate 95 in Stafford County, near mile marker 146.
During the hourlong bond hearing in Stafford County Circuit Court, Judge Charles Clark granted Dong $25,000 secure bond on three of the five charges.
Clark also ordered that Dong not consume any alcohol or drugs unless a doctor prescribes it, and to surrender his U.S. and Chinese passports, personal driver’s license and commercial driver’s license.
Clark ordered Dong, who lives on Staten Island, not to leave Virginia and to remain in the commonwealth under house arrest, with the exception of court appearances, lawyers’ meetings and doctor’s visits. He’s not allowed to have any contact with crash victims or their families.
Dong, who was in a wheelchair and had an interpreter present for the hearing, nodded in agreement.
In issuing his ruling, Clark said he weighed whether Dong is a danger to himself or others and whether he is a flight risk. Ultimately, he said, “the danger and risk can be mitigated.”
Dong won’t be released until another bond hearing in General District Court, where prosecutors filed two of the five involuntary manslaughter counts. They did so to avoid having a trial begin within five months, which is the circuit court requirement.
Thomas Walsh, Dong’s attorney, said a bond hearing in District Court could be scheduled as early as this week. If all parties agree to the same bond terms, Walsh said, a formal hearing may not be needed.
Dong’s trial is scheduled for Oct. 6, but Walsh said that may change based on the bond rulings.
In court Wednesday, Stafford Commonwealth’s Attorney Eric Olsen argued Dong should be held without bond. He said Dong’s Chinese passport made him a flight risk.
Olsen also said that because Dong had a commercial driver’s license and was driving a bus, he had heightened responsibility under the law.
On May 29, Dong was driving a charter bus with more than two dozen passengers from New York to North Carolina. At around 2:30 a.m., Dong was passing through Stafford on southbound Interstate 95 when his bus struck a line of cars that was slowing for a construction zone near Marine Base Quantico.
Dong approached a “sea of red lights,” Olsen said in court, and didn’t show any evidence of slowing down.
Prosecutors entered photos of the chain-reaction crash aftermath into evidence under seal. They also played three videos in court — one from an express lane pole camera that showed the cars slowing and subsequent crash, another video from the inside of a truck and footage from a sheriff deputy’s drone that flew over the crash scene at daybreak.
A witness who was part of the crash, Olsen said, will describe Dong’s “driving behavior” in the moments before it happened.
Olsen also described Dong’s previous traffic violations, including one in Annapolis for driving a bus 72 mph in a 50 mph zone.
“He’s a danger behind the wheel, and nothing can stop him from getting behind the wheel,” Olsen told the judge.
But Walsh said Dong wasn’t on his phone, under the influence of alcohol or drugs or sleeping at the time of the crash. Walsh previously argued that Dong was driving under the speed limit.
A medical report, Walsh said, revealed Dong had to be cut out of the bus and transported to the hospital. He now has “staples down his stomach,” among other injuries, Walsh said.
“There’s videos from inside the bus where he’s driving, not asleep, not on a phone, no drugs,” Walsh told reporters after the hearing. “It’s just a horrible accident.”
Dong has shown remorse for the crash, Walsh said.
“When I showed him news reports of the accident with the pictures, he broke down crying,” Walsh said. “The first time we met him, he just started crying. He got emotional.”
The bond condition that requires Dong to stay in Virginia before trial could be challenging, Walsh said, because he doesn’t live in the state. The judge said a hotel could be a sufficient proof of address.
“It’s an accident,” Walsh said. “It’s horrible. Getting a jury is going to be tough, to set aside the emotions of losing a family that just basically disintegrated, and another person. It’s going to be hard for me to get that.”
WTOP’s Neal Augenstein contributed to this report.
Get breaking news and daily headlines delivered to your email inbox by signing up here.
© 2026 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.
