Judge denies bond for bus driver charged in deadly I-95 Stafford County crash

STAFFORD COUNTY, Va. (7News) — A judge on Friday denied bond for the charter bus driver charged in the deadly Interstate 95 crash in Stafford County that killed five people and injured at least 44 others.

Jing Sheng Dong, 48, appeared in Stafford County General District Court Friday morning for a bond hearing on the remaining two involuntary manslaughter charges he faces.

After the hearing, Dong’s attorney, Thomas Walsh, told 7News the judge denied bond, ruling Dong is a flight risk.

Dong faces five counts of involuntary manslaughter and one count of reckless driving in connection with the May 29 crash.

NTSB investigators examine wreckage on May 30, 2026 from the deadly bus crash on I-95 in Stafford County. (Courtesy: NTSB)

Earlier this week, Dong was granted bond in Stafford County Circuit Court on three of the involuntary manslaughter charges. Friday’s hearing addressed the two remaining charges still pending in General District Court.

Outside the courthouse, Walsh argued the legal standard for denying bond was not met.

“He’s not a danger to himself, he’s not a danger to the community. It’s an accident. He’s not a risk of flight. There’s nothing to demonstrate he’s a risk of flight,” Walsh said. “He’s turned in his passport, he’s a U.S. citizen. It’d be like you or me.”

SEE ALSO | Bus driver in deadly Stafford I-95 crash pleads not guilty, requests jury trial

Dong pleaded not guilty on July 1.

According to Virginia State Police, Dong was driving a charter bus on May 29 when officials said he failed to slow for backed-up traffic approaching a work zone on I-95, crashing into several vehicles.

The crash killed five people, including two children. Four of the victims were traveling in an Acura SUV: a 45-year-old man, a 44-year-old woman, a 13-year-old girl and a 7-year-old boy, all from Greenfield, Massachusetts.

Federal investigators said a motorcoach bus plowed into the rear of slowing traffic near a work zone, which led to a chain-reaction crash on Interstate 95 in Stafford County, Virginia, that killed five people and injured dozens more early Friday, May 29, 2026. (VSP)

Walsh said he plans to appeal the judge’s decision. If an appeal is filed, another bond hearing is expected Tuesday, July 28.

Dong’s preliminary hearing is scheduled for Aug. 28. His trial is currently set for Oct. 6, although Walsh said that date could change.