Amtrak, NJ Transit Delays After Bomb Explodes at NJ Train Station
Amtrak and New Jersey Transit riders should expect to see delays today after a bomb found near a New Jersey train station detonated early this morning when a bomb squad robot attempted to disarm it.
Amtrak’s Acela and Northeast Regional trains were running on a modified schedule this morning. Amtrak tweeted around 9:30 a.m. that service on the Northeast Corridor had returned to scheduled operations, though passengers were warned earlier to be “prepared for the possibility of additional cancellations and delays throughout the day.”
NJ Transit’s Northeast Corridor and North Jersey Coast lines resumed service at 5:30 a.m. this morning. The New York Times reports that more than 2,000 Amtrak and NJ Transit passengers were affected by the investigation.
Two men discovered the explosive device among four other devices, some of which were pipe bombs, in a backpack at the Elizabeth station around 8:45 p.m. on Sunday night. The FBI and the New Jersey State Police quickly stepped in, dispatching two robots – one of which accidentally detonated the bomb at around 12:30 a.m. this morning. No injuries were reported.
Explosion at Elizabeth NJ train station. Up to 5 devices found. Video obtained @PIX11News #Elizabeth #Njtransit #Nj pic.twitter.com/gH0gypUqCo
— Christie Duffy (@ChristieDuffy) September 19, 2016
It’s unclear whether the bombs are related to either of two bombings that occurred this weekend, first in Seaside Park, New Jersey on Saturday morning, shortly before a Marine Corps charity run, and then Saturday night in New York’s Chelsea neighborhood, in which 29 people were injured.
The FBI is looking to transport the remaining bombs found in Elizabeth to the FBI facility Quantico, Virginia, for evaluation, according to the New York Times.
The recent events have also led to an increased precautionary police presence surrounding NJ Transit’s New Brunswick train station this morning after a suspicious package was found on top of the Douglas Parking Deck on the Rutgers New Brunswick campus. New Brunswick Police issued an advisory to New Jersey Transit commuters this morning, warning of possible additional delays.
Elizabeth’s mayor, J. Christian Bollwage, told the New York Times that it’s unclear whether or not the town of Elizabeth was targeted and that “it is very possible that someone was trying to get rid of a package, as opposed to setting it off.”
Amtrak will update commuters on delays via Amtrak.com/alerts or via @AmtrakNEC on Twitter.
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