GREEN BAY, Wis. (WFRV) – A 37-year-old Illinois man is facing multiple charges after a tour bus crash in Green Bay left dozens of people injured Sunday afternoon.
According to a criminal complaint obtained by Local 5 News, Ghebry J. Figueroa of Prospect Heights, Illinois, has been charged with two counts of knowingly operating a motor vehicle while revoked causing great bodily harm and one count of operating a commercial motor vehicle while disqualified.
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Officers with the Green Bay Police Department were dispatched shortly before 2:45 p.m. on March 22, 2026, to the 2200 block of Angie Avenue for a report of a bus crash involving injuries. Authorities said approximately 54 people were on board the tour bus.
Investigators said the bus came off an exit ramp, jumped a curb and ran into buildings in the area.
According to the complaint, Figueroa told authorities he attempted to take the exit ramp onto Webster Avenue but claimed the bus brakes did not function and the emergency brake also failed. He did pass field sobriety testing and blew a zero on a breathalyzer.
Thirty-six individuals were transported to local hospitals. Green Bay police provided an update on Tuesday afternoon saying that 41 passengers sustained injuries as a result of the crash.
The complaint states that Figueroa had both a revoked regular driver’s license and a revoked commercial driver’s license. Court records indicate he was convicted in December 2024 in Cook County, Illinois, for driving with a revoked or suspended license related to a prior operating under the influence conviction.
Local 5 News confirmed with the Illinois Secretary of State’s office that Figueroa hasn’t had a valid driver’s license since 2017 when it got suspended after a DUI conviction.
Prosecutors said that Figueroa also has a warrant out of the state of Texas for vehicular burglary.
“He has shown a willingness not to follow the law before with driving, and I have concerns that would extend to not showing up to court,” Brown County court commissioner Allison Ritchie said before setting a $5000 cash bond for Figueroa.
Before the court commissioner made her decision on bond, a passenger on the bus spoke via a zoom call saying that Figueroa had messed up her life.
Authorities said that based on his prior conviction and his statements, there was reason to believe Figueroa knew his driving privileges were revoked.
Figueroa made his initial appearance in Brown County court Tuesday. The two felony counts each carry a potential penalty of up to 3 1/2 years in prison and up to $10,000 in fines. The misdemeanor charge of operating a commercial motor vehicle while disqualified carries a potential penalty of up to one year in jail and up to $2,500 in fines.
Both the prosecutor and Figueroa’s attorney acknowledged that more charges could come as officials continue to evaluate the dozens of people injured in the crash.
“He understands the very serious nature of these offenses and understands that he needs to make all his court appearances,” Figueroa’s attorney John D’Angelo said in court on Tuesday afternoon.
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Figueroa was given a $5,000 cash bond, which has since been paid.
Forty eight hours later, there’s still tire tracks in the grass showing where the bus barreled through an intersection, plowed through a snowbank, and crashed between two warehouses in Green Bay.
Kevin Devillers and his roommate David narrowly missed getting hit by the bus as it came screaming down the I-43 exit ramp into the intersection.
“Something told me to look into my rearview mirror and I glanced up and saw him coming and I looked over and told David it’s not going to stop,” Devillers told Local 5 News. “I didn’t stop for the stop sign because if I did it would have been bad. He flew past us and went over that embankment and I looked over at David and yelled he’s going to hit that warehouse building.”
Devillers said he turned into the warehouse parking lot where the bus had crashed to try to help out. He said he only stayed for a short amount of time because officials asked him to move so that first responders could do their jobs.
“The bus driver was on his cell phone, didn’t seem to care,” Devillers said. “He wasn’t checking on passengers he just seemed frightened because of legally what was coming. But he wasn’t checking on passengers.”
Devillers said he heard the brakes skid and therefore doesn’t believe Figueroa’s story that they didn’t work prior to the crash.
The incident remains under investigation. Local 5 News will continue to follow developments in the case.
