I really thought I was about to kick the bucket two nights ago. I was on this same train, although not on these cars at the time of these videos:
I was on a PATH train heading from Jersey City (Newport station) to NYC, and what should’ve been a quick 8-minute ride turned into a 70-minute nightmare under the Hudson River.
Not long after we left at around 5:50 PM, the train stopped, and the conductor announced there was a train ahead of us causing a brief delay. At first, it didn’t seem like a big deal—just a minor holdup. But after we moved forward slightly and stopped again, the conductor said there was a “small electrical fire” in the tunnel.
Within minutes, smoke started filling the train cars. It was light at first, but it quickly became overwhelming. People started moving toward the back of the train, going through emergency exits between cars to get away from the worst of the smoke. As we moved toward the rear cars, it turned out the smoke was even thicker there. The middle cars seemed the clearest for a while, but they eventually filled with smoke too.
The scene inside the train was chaotic. People were crying, huddling by the exits, and trying to make sense of what was happening. At one point, I considered whether we could try to pry open the train doors, but it didn’t seem like a viable option. There likely wasn’t enough space between the train and the tunnel walls to even get out, the electrified tracks posed a significant risk, and the smoke was coming from the tunnel itself. On top of that, the conductor had mentioned there was supposedly another train blocking the way behind us. We were completely trapped.
The conductor made repeated announcements for at least ten minutes: “We’re waiting for electricity to turn back on!” “The train behind us has to move first!” and “Someone pulled the emergency handle, the train can’t move until it’s reset!" Meanwhile, the smoke just kept getting worse. It seemed like an eternity that the conductor kept on saying that we were about move. As the seconds passed, I really started to believe that this train wasn't going to ever leave this position with us alive. I was getting ready to go through the caboose and into the tunnel, which might be home to Satan himself.
Finally, the train finally started moving again, and we were diverted to Hoboken, where we evacuated. By the time we got off, the smoke, the confusion, and the lack of information left everyone shaken.
I held a girl's hand who was extremely distraught for much of the time and the floor was literally soaked with her and other womens' tears by the end of the ride.
The Port Authority offered us a "complimentary transfer" and mentioned this as a minor convenience on their social media accounts. No paramedics were at the Hoboken station waiting for us, even after our 8-minute ride turned into a 70-minute ride through hell.
Anyone know any good lawyers in NJ?
Somehow only NYPost and Barstool Sports have posted anything about this when hundreds of people were possibly minutes from dying underneath the Hudson River.