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One person is dead and 23 others are injured after a train struck a tree that had fallen on tracks in New Jersey Monday morning.
The incident happened just after 6 a.m. in Mansfield Township when a River Line commuter train traveling southbound from Trenton, the state’s capital, to Florence, hit a tree just north of Roebling Station. News footage showed the train’s front window shattered with the obstruction still stuck under the right side of the train.
It appears that other front-facing parts of the train sustained severe damage.
The train’s operator died in the crash. Out of the 42 customers on board, 23 were transported to nearby area hospitals with non-life-threatening injuries. The remaining 19 passengers were offered a bus to their final destination, which typically takes 20 minutes to get to by train. The River Line service is now suspended in both directions between Florence and Trenton and a substitute service is being provided.
The train operator’s identity has not yet been made public.
Officials in Burlington County have closed roads in the area, including the southbound side of US 130, according to News12 New Jersey. The Independent has emailed Burlington County authorities for more information.
“We’ve been here for about 40 years and we never never heard of an accident with the River Line,” a shocked nearby neighbor told Action News.
Another added: “We heard all the ambulance, the helicopters and we had to come down here to see and they told us that the River Line derailed, unfortunately, and some people may be hurt or possibly dead.”
Marcial Mojena, the mayor of Mansfield Township, said: “Our heartfelt thoughts and prayers are with everyone impacted by this tragic event,” according to a statement posted on Facebook.
