NJ Transit train hits car on tracks, killing driver

An NJ Transit train struck a car on the tracks Monday morning in North Jersey, killing the motorist.

The victim, identified only as an adult male, was driving on Ryerson Rd. in Lincoln Park, NJ Transit said in a statement. He was struck by a Montclair-Boonton Line train traveling eastbound toward Hoboken.

No injuries were reported among the approximately 40 passengers and crew on the train, according to NJ Transit. Commuters were bused to their destinations.

Montclair-Boonton Line train 1074 left Hackettstown at 8:24 a.m. and was scheduled to arrive in Hoboken at 10:30 a.m., NJ Transit officials said. It struck the vehicle at 9:27 a.m.

NJ Transit investigators said the gates at the railroad crossing were working correctly and the motorist drove around the gates and onto the tracks. An investigation is ongoing, according to the rail line. The Ryerson Rd. crossing in a largely wooded area with a few buildings visible from the crash site.

Collisions between NJ Transit trains and motorists are not uncommon. However, in the two most recent crashes — in July and September — the drivers escaped with their lives. Additionally, multiple pedestrians have been killed by NJ Transit trains this year, including three people in October across the state.

The most shocking crash occurred on the NJ Transit River Line, between Trenton and Camden, when a train struck a downed tree on the tracks. The operator of that train, Jessica Haley, was killed and 23 people were injured.

Afterward, Haley’s family sued NJ Transit. One of her sisters also worked on an NJ Transit River Line and claimed the tree hazards were well-known by NJ Transit officials but nothing was done to mitigate the danger.