WATCH: United Airlines Plane Hits Light Pole, Damages Truck Moments Before Landing

A United Airlines plane appeared to hit a light pole and damaged a delivery truck on Sunday moments before landing at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey.

Dramatic dashcam video shows a delivery driver glancing out the window after hearing a loud, screeching noise — moments before a Boeing 767 crashes into his truck.

????#BREAKING: Watch as dashcam video shows a United Airlines flight clipping a light pole during landing before striking a bakery truck on the ground, leaving the truck driver hospitalized.

????#Newark | #NewJersey

Watch as dashcam footage from a bakery truck captures the moment… pic.twitter.com/OXw3xUVvtu

— R A W S A L E R T S (@rawsalerts) May 3, 2026

The truck was traveling northbound on the New Jersey Turnpike at around 1:50 p.m., according to The National News Desk.

Aircraft landing on one of the main runways at Newark come sailing in, low, over multiple lanes of traffic on the Turnpike, which is one of the most congested parts of Interstate 95, according to the Associated Press. 

Chuck Paterakis, the senior vice president of Transportation & Logistics and co-principal at H&S Bakery, claimed that the wheel of the commercial plane crashed into the driver’s window.

The truck driver reportedly suffered minor injuries and is being treated at a hospital.

“To me, that everybody on that plane, everybody and the driver, God was looking after them, there’s no doubt,” Paterakis told the National News Desk, “if we did that scenario again, I don’t know if anybody could’ve survived that.”

In a statement, the Federal Aviation Administration confirmed the incident.

“While on approach to land at Newark Liberty International Airport, United Airlines Flight 169 struck a light pole on the New Jersey Turnpike around 2 p.m. local time on Sunday, May 3. The Boeing 767 landed safely and was arriving from Venice, Italy.  The FAA will investigate.

The National Transportation Safety Board also announced an investigation. 

“An NTSB investigator is scheduled to arrive in Newark on Monday. The agency has directed United Airlines to secure and provide both the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder to support the investigation. A preliminary report outlining the facts and circumstances of the event is expected within 30 days.”

In a statement to The Daily Wire, United Airlines confirmed one of its planes “came into contact with a light pole.”

Upon its final approach into Newark International Airport, United flight 169 came into contact with a light pole. The aircraft landed safely, taxied to the gate normally and no passengers or crew were injured. Our maintenance team is evaluating damage to the aircraft. We will conduct a rigorous flight safety investigation into the incident and our crew has been removed from service as part of the process.

Background:

• UA169 VCE-EWR
• 221 passengers and 10 crew
• Aircraft: Boeing 767-400