This Is Rail Safety?

As the 7 p.m. train roared into the Secaucus station, the man - who was carrying a tan briefcase and wearing shorts, sunglasses and a colorful Hawaiian shirt - was seen hanging from a ladder of the locomotive.

"His hair was blowing and he was leaning back, taking in the breeze," said Steve Sager of Ho-Ho-Kus who watched wide-eyed from the platform.

"He looked happy, almost as if he should have had a cocktail in his hand," said Rob Odell of Franklin Lakes.

NJ Transit identified the rail surfer as William Fitzpatrick of North Arlington. Saying he smelled of alcohol, transit police charged Fitzpatrick with fare evasion, disorderly conduct and interfering with transportation, crimes that could bring $500 in fines and 90 days in jail.

Shouldn't NJ Transit better safeguard its locomotives?

Transit spokesman Dan Stessel said the engineer could not get a clear view of Fitzpatrick, but "nothing was compromised aboard the locomotive."

"Our security system worked," said Stessel. "Both commuters and transit personnel spotted the man and he was arrested."

How comforting.

I'm a regular user of NJ Transit, and this is perplexing to say the least. Someone who gets on board a locomotive and has the knowledge and the intent to cause harm could have done so, despite the claims by NJ Transit. There are insufficient safeguards to prevent someone from gaining access to those locomotives. Those customers on board were lucky that this guy was simply drunk. Had he had a more nefarious intent, the trip may have ended quite differently.

If a drunkard could get on board the locomotive, what does that say about the security and safety of NJ Transit trains?

Further, he becomes a risk to himself and others - and had he fallen off, he could have been severely injured or even run over by a passing train, which would have disrupted the commute - affecting thousands in the process.

NJ Transit must do a better job.