NJ Transit train hits, kills man in Long Branch

A man was struck and killed by an NJ Transit train around 9:15 last night outside the Elberon train station.

An engineer aboard a northbound train approaching the station saw a man lying between the tracks but was unable to stop the train, NJ Transit spokesman Ken Hitchner said.

No further details on the victim were available last night.

About 35 passengers were aboard the four-car train, which originated in Bay Head and was bound for Long Branch. They were bused north to other stations, Hitchner said.

Train service north and south of Elberon was delayed until about 11 p.m. while investigators continued to examine the scene. NJ Transit provided busing for passengers from Long Branch to Bay Head. The incident was not expected to affect this morning's commute.

Fog covered the area as investigators walked the tracks with flashlights last night, examining train 4137, which struck the man and was still sitting outside the station. Investigators had taped off the entire length of the train station, which is adjacent to a residential area and Elberon's small business district.

Long Branch and NJ Transit police, State Police, the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office and the Long Branch Fire Department were at the scene last night, and the investigation is continuing.

http://www.app.com/app/story/0,21625,965808,00.html

It wasn't train 4137, it was loco 4137 that hit the man.......Bay Head trains are 47XX series.

Also, supposedly, the very same man was trying to commit suicide in the Long Branch station area earlier in the night, but was either scared or chased away, and then headed down to Elberon.

Oh well, mission accomplished, I guess.

I hope the engineer is doing ok.

It's selfish how some people commit suicide in a fashion which tarnishes the lives of the innocent (i.e. the train crew).

If such people are determined to end their lives by utilizing the RR equipment/property why don't they opt for the cat system and an electrocution @12-25kV?

The answer to that question is obvious: Catenary wire is not as easily accessible as a moving train; plus, unless you have a connection to the ground, you stay very much alive.

Perhaps they ought to rewrite the NJ constitution, with wording similar to a certain New York City law which reads "The penalty for jumping off a building is death"...?

Irish Chieftain wrote:The answer to that question is obvious: Catenary wire is not as easily accessible as a moving train; plus, unless you have a connection to the ground, you stay very much alive.

Yes one is more easily accessible but the cat system may be more accessible than one may initially think. One could climb above the consist, while underwire, and can get close to the wire w/o physically contacting it to get fried. Access from overhead bridges could be an alternate option.

Access from overhead bridges is precisely the reason they now have shielding built into such bridges where catenary wire is underneath.

Access from overhead bridges could be an alternate option.

Good luck. Have you ever seen the high walls that exist on ALL overpasses over electrified rail lines? It is quite difficult to get around one of them to access the catenary. The walls begin and end far past the edge of the right of way.

Committing suicide using the catanery west of Long Branch would take too long. You'd probably starve to death first.

Thoughts and prayers to all involved. I photographed 4137 last week in Bay Head. Most of the time, you don't think about the fatalities that may have or may occur with the piece of equipment you are taking a picture of.

nick11a wrote:Thoughts and prayers to all involved. I photographed 4137 last week in Bay Head. Most of the time, you don't think about the fatalities that may have or may occur with the piece of equipment you are taking a picture of.

When I had my panel interview with NJT (loco engineer), the guy (Fred I think) asked me what would my reaction be if I hit some while operating the equipment. To paraphrase, I kinda said 'I dont know but (stuff) happens'. Needless to say, I wasnt hired.

I DO NOT advocate suicide.

F23A4 wrote:When I had my panel interview with NJT (loco engineer), the guy (Fred I think) asked me what would my reaction be if I hit some while operating the equipment. To paraphrase, I kinda said 'I dont know but (stuff) happens'. Needless to say, I wasnt hired.

I was asked the same thing. Man, was that a brutal interview. I started to sweat during it. By chance, did he have a goatee and work in the Newark division?

Mudvalve wrote:

F23A4 wrote:When I had my panel interview with NJT (loco engineer), the guy (Fred I think) asked me what would my reaction be if I hit some while operating the equipment. To paraphrase, I kinda said 'I dont know but (stuff) happens'. Needless to say, I wasnt hired.

I was asked the same thing. Man, was that a brutal interview. I started to sweat during it. By chance, did he have a goatee and work in the Newark division?

No goatee but he did work in the Newark Div. I think I messed up mainly because my mindset was to try and figure out what direction they were trying to go in with the interview. It didnt seem very organized and I may have seemed impatient in demeanor (not behavior). Oh well. 2¢.

The walls or fencing on bridges over catenary is primarily to prevent kooks from throughing wires, chains, etc. over onto the cat to see the resultant pyrotecnics display. Preventing jumpers is secondary.