A commuter train entered a Hoboken, New Jersey terminal at high speed, crashing over a “bumper block” and stopping just outside the station’s waiting area. The crash collapsed part of the station’s roof on top of the first car. At least one person was killed and more than 100 were injured. From the NY Times:
Jim Smith, a spokesman for New Jersey Transit, said a commuter train struck the Hoboken Terminal building on Track 5 around 8:45 a.m. The train was No. 1614, traveling from Spring Valley to Hoboken on the Pascack Valley line .
Michael Larson, an agency employee, was in the station when the train crashed. He said he crawled on his hands and knees to pull people out of the first train car.
“The first car was pretty well destroyed,” he said at the station. “The whole roof was caved in. The seats were broken.”
The Associated Press has an account from someone who was on the train:
Ross Bauer, an IT specialist who was heading to his Manhattan job from his home in Hackensack, was sitting in the third or fourth car when the train pulled into the historic 109-year-old station.
“All of a sudden, there was an abrupt stop and a big jolt that threw people out of their seats. The lights went out, and we heard a loud crashing noise — like an explosion — that turned out to be the roof of the terminal,” he said. “I heard panicked screams, and everyone was stunned.”
The NY Times published some video from inside the station:
A #NewJersey Transit train crashed into the #Hoboken station. Video by witnesses shows the damage moments after the crash. pic.twitter.com/CbrbysFBLD
— New York Times Video (@nytvideo) September 29, 2016
The AP also published this clip showing stills from inside the station and some video from outside:
Finally, CBS News Executive Producer Steve Capus apparently lives a few blocks from the crash and described for CBS News what he saw immediately afterwards. He says there were hundreds of people leaving the station looking dazed, many covered in blood from head injuries. He also saw at least a dozen people taken away on stretchers by first responders:
I’ll update this post later as more information becomes available.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member