Hudson Valley Post — Flash Briefing for Thursday, Sept. 19

Classes are back on today at SUNY Orange Newburgh after the discovery of a suspicious device cancelled classes and caused a partial evacuation. Authorities say the questionable item was found in a garage on the campus around 10:30 Wednesday morning. An all-clear was given around 2 p.m. after a bomb squad X-rayed the package and determined it was not explosive. The package was deemed to be a hoax device made from a computer router wire and a cigarette lighter.

One person was seriously injured after a school bus crashed head-on into a car in Rockland County. Police say the bus failed to notice a Toyota Prius while trying to turn off the Palisades Parkway and hit the car. The driver of the car, a 37-year-old Beacon woman sustained a compound fracture to her left arm and a broken left leg. She’s listed in serious but stable condition. The bus driver and a bus aide suffered minor injuries. Police say five children were on the bus at the time of the accident, but none were hurt.

An upper Hudson Valley man lost his life while trying to avoid a bus on Route 9W. Police say a Greene County Transit bus was stopped in the southbound lane waiting to turn left at a green light. For an unknown reason, Eric Wallace moved into the North Bound lane to avoid the bus and was hit head-on by another car. The 29-year-old from Catskill was pronounced dead on the scene.

A 70-year-old man is back on land after being stranded on the Hudson River overnight. The elderly man told police his boat experienced mechanical problems on the river, leaving him no choice but to drop anchor and sleep on the boat while waiting for help. Police say the man was rescued Wednesday morning when police noticed a boat displaying an orange distress flag. The man was uninjured, and the boat was towed to a nearby marina.