About 1200 passengers trapped as water dripped into their train from ceiling

Horror Movie Comes to Life as NJ Transit train stuck under Hudson for 4 hours & Penn Station has stampede due to stun gun

Hot packed trains; overflowing toilets and water dripping from ceiling onto seats, floors and passengers - then stampede!

But as always, even in the most stressful of situations, some people did the unthinkable: they banded together and made friends. The human spirit, it turns out, continues to be much more reliable than our unreliable trains.
People ran, leaving bags on the floor, as rumors of a gunman spread in Penn Station early evening yesterday. (Photo: Twitter)
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Diane Lilli
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Commuters have been dealing with horrific delays for over a month, including cancelations and terrible problems over the past few weeks in New Jersey and New York, but yesterday the scene was like a bad movie come to life.

For about hours, helpless commuters packed in New Jersey trains were trapped under the Hudson River. About 1200 passengers were trapped without any help or info for hours, and after being stuck under the Hudson River, water began to drip down from the ceilings into their cars.

Frantic to get out, or be rescued, many passengers posted videos and photos, some saying on social media if they died they hoped their loved ones would know they were thinking of them.

Amtrak had overhead power problems, and the result was this stalled train with no power, left helpless under the Hudson River during a busy time in the late afternoon when people were en route home for a holiday weekend.

Passengers tweeted their anger and fear.

One passenger wrote, "I love spending y Friday afternoon trapped on a train for 4 hours with no AC, power, or even a seat." (Twitter, Matteo)

A woman described bathrooms overflowing and smelling, and many spoke of their fear as water trickled from the ceiling onto their seats and floor.

After arriving in Penn Station in the evening, exhausted passengers then faced police activity when a man making a loud disturbance was subdued by a stun gun.

False rumors of gunshots being fired spread quickly among the crowd, and a mini stampede occurred.

16 people were injured.

A statement from NJ Transit Executive Director Steven H. Santoro read, "To our customers who were significantly delayed today on Northeast Corridor train #3850, and other customers who were impacted by this incident, we deeply apologize for your experience, and I would like to hear from you. Please contact me through our website at njtransit.com using the contact us section on the home page, or call us at 973-275-5555 between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. seven days a week.”

“We are working with Amtrak to determine the cause of the incident.”

With a 4 hour trapped train packed with about 1200 passengers, a mini-stampede upon arrival in Penn Station due to police activity and panic, yesterday's events will be the subject of investigation.

But as always, even in the most stressful of situations, some people did the unthinkable: they banded together and made friends. (See photo). The human spirit, it turns out, continues to be much more reliable than our unreliable trains.

If you have a story to share, email Diane@thejerseytomatopress.com.

Updates to follow