only i would wake up on an empty NJTransit train parked and shut down in a trainyard 2 hours from my home. that was an interesting 911 call pic.twitter.com/cdSkCTtQry
— claire bridget (@claaiirreeyyy) September 6, 2017
NEWARK, N.J. — A college student who was evacuated from her campus in Florida woke up on an empty commuter train in New Jersey this week, news agency NJ.com reports.
Claire Connelly of Highlands, N.J., was just trying to get home to her parents after her Florida college closed its doors in advance of Hurricane Irma. According to the article, Connelly fell asleep on the train while studying biology cards, and when she woke up, everyone was gone.
As what any college student would do in the unusual situation, Connelly filmed her experience and posted it to Twitter.
“I literally just fell asleep on my train. I’m on a train. There is no one on,” the student says.
Connelly tried screaming for help, but no one answered. She then called 911 and was shortly thereafter assisted by police officers – and her parents.
A NJ Transit representative tried to figure out what train Connelly was on by responding to her Twitter post, but by that time, she was already rescued.
It was not until after the rescue that she realized she was on the wrong train. According to the article, Connelly was supposed to be on a North Jersey Coast Line train for Middletown, but she was actually on a Raritan Valley Line train.
A NJ Transit representative says the incident is extremely rare, noting that conductors are supposed to check the train for passengers.
The agency is currently investigating the incident.
As for Connelly, she says she’s too horrified to travel by rail again.
See the original story online.
Middletown. Middletown? Middletown–isn’t it on the Erie to Port Jervis? I’ve never heard of one on the North Jersey Coast Line (NY & Long Branch), which I would nominate as the most boring rail line in the world. This must be one confused young lady. Winding up in Raritan NJ? I had a delightful conversation at a sub shop there in 1974 while getting the CNJ main line. There are worse things–being stuck in South Chicago. OK, for a good true story of being left on a train. In 2005 I was in Chicago getting the ex-WC (OK, SOO LINE!) line to Antioch; one weekday train a day did a round trip. By Antioch the train was deserted; there was no announcement when we stopped and the doors didn’t open. I was probably the only person left going to Antioch (state line). It was now obvious we had pulled beyond the station into the yards; next concern was that ANOTHER train set might be making the last trip to Chicago and I’d be marooned. After awhile a trainman came through and I explained things. Upshot was that I got a few hundred extra yards of mileage that weren’t part of regular service.
She’s too “horrified” to ride a train again? What is she horrified of? Nobody tried to harm her. When she finally grew a brain and called 911, she got “rescued” in a matter of minutes. As far as being on the wrong train goes, she may bear some responsibility for that. As Ken Marx says, we have raised a whole generation of snowflakes who can’t figure things out for themselves but just have to post everything they do on facebook or twitter.
I would think the conductor or a trainman would have walked through the cars before tying the train down. Since we are in the computer age, we can’t be sure she even had a paper ticket showing her destination. However, when she found herself alone on an empty train in a yard, she instinctively made a video and posted it instead of calling 911? We are so addicted to social media. Her fear of train travel fits with the concept of providing “safe spaces” that is so prevalent in colleges and universities these days. We have raised a whole generation of scaredy cats, or, in today’s terminology, snowflakes.
I fear for the future of this country.
People fall asleep on trains all the time. It’s a human thing. Reminds me of the time I rode a MARTA train in Atlanta to the final stop and heard the following announcement:
“Dunmere. This is the last stop for this train. All passengers must leave the train at this time…..Sleepers, please wake up and leave train.”
People also get on the wrong train all the time. Once when leaving NY Penn Station on a Trenton-bound NE Corridor train, it became obvious from their conversation that the group of four across the isle were supposed to be on the Coast Line train The Coast train was boarding at the same time across the platform. I guess they were so busy talking about their day in NY they didn’t hear the announcements about what train they were on. That darn human thing again. Like all those times I’ve went down to the basement and couldn’t remember what the heck I went down there for, or i’m so wrapped up in a audiobook I miss my exit on the turnpike, or gone to the store and bought ten things, and came home without the one thing I went there to get. It’s frustrating, but doesn’t make “fear for the future”.
Robert, yes. All New Jersey Transit tickets have the origin and destination printed on them. It’s the conductor’s job to make sure passengers have the correct ticket. In the case above, when the conductor arrived to collect their tickets, he informed the group they were on the wrong train. He instructed them to get off at the first stop, Secaucus Junction, and catch a Coast Line train there. Had the conductor on the student’s train been paying attention he could have been similarly helpful. Given that he wasn’t, I’m not surprised he also failed to inspect the train per the rules before the train left High Bridge for the yard.
Well, she needed to use a baby diaper to pin a note on herself saying “Wake me in Middleton”. She won’t take a train again? Are we sure she’s not in 6,7,or 8th grade?
Obviously an idiot “snowflake”. I, like Mr. Stark, fear for the future.
But, how did she ride to the end of the line on the wrong train. Don’t the tickets have the destination station name on them? Doesn’t the conductor collect tickets and place a seat check? He must have known that she was on the wrong train when he collected the ticket. Unless he/she didn’t bother to look. Must have been a veteran MBTA commuter rail conductor.
I think this is just a scam to collect on a lawsuit from NJT.
And the same story happened a few years ago in Sydney when a commuter fell asleep. The train was parked in between the morning and evening rush hours in a siding tunnel at Bondi Junction. This commuter however was locked in all day because there was no cell phone coverage in the tunnel.
Occasionally, school bus drivers get in trouble for not taking 50 seconds of time to check their bus when they finish their route and a small child is found asleep on the bus 2 hours later. But she is a college student and far too old for such cluelessness.
Blame the train. Hope she never take a plane. Could wind up at north pole.
So she is now to horrified to ride a train because she may fall asleep…
…lol, but not embarrassed enough NOT to post her stupidity on social media BEFORE calling 911. Putz.
At least the lights were still on.
I’d just go back to sleep and wait until morning…no harm, now foul…though I bet the conductor will be in deep trouble.
You don’t have to be on the wrong train to have that happen. Happened to me, years ago, in Montreal at the end of a ride on the then Montrealer on Amtrak. I wasn’t asleep, but I was the only passenger in the car — and when the train stopped at Montreal (which is the end of the line) I wasn’t quite quick enough and by the time I got my gear together and went to get off… the doors were all locked.
The choice was to sit there until the next morning (not an option) all call security — which is what I did, and they came and then set about finding someone with a key. Took a while, and my recollection is that they were not one bit happy with the Amtrak car attendant…
Is this sue heck from the tv show “the Middle”? too funny.
Would help if she could read the train schedule. Funny how it is more important to post something on social media first instead of calling for help. Pretty sure she would be upset if she needed help for an injury or accident and everyone was posting her situation instead of calling 9-1-1. Where are the priorities nowadays?
I’ve known plenty of people who got on the interstate the wrong way and drove a long time before I had to give them directions and figure out on the phone where they even were in the first place. She seems like one of these . . .
Too horrified to travel by rail again, but okay enough as it was happening to film herself and post about it to social media?
lol
She’s not too horrified to ride the train– she’s too embarrassed!
Well, my experience on passenger trains is that, like the airlines prior to take off (announcing flight number and destination), it seems like policy and procedure for most crews to inform transit customers, prior to departure, of station stops en route and final destination of the train. Been on plenty of airlines where, when the flight and destination announcement is made, there is a hasty exit by a passenger off the “wrong” plane.
That could only have happened to George Costanza!
When I was a little boy (8 or 9) my father taught me how to read the bus schedule. I went to the library downtown after school one day (for a dime) and was going to take the last bus home. Oops. It didn’t go all the way home, but finished its route and went back to the barn.
The driver found me in the last row, called my frantic parents and gave me a ride home. 🙂
Nobody to blame but herself. First off, she was on the wrong train. Then she fell asleep instead of paying attention. Maybe mom and dad should have picked her up at Newark Airport, so she wouldn’t get lost. But too “horrified” to ride a train again – give me a break.
$100,000 for her college education, and she still has no clue.