Another Sad Reminder To Stay Off the Tracks

Last night, a high school student from the next town over died after being struck by a NJ Transit train. The student, Nicholas Bischoff, was killed when a NJ Transit train struck him prior to entering the Borough Hall train station in Glen Rock, New Jersey despite attempts to stop the train with the emergency brakes and sounding the horn.

The engineer of the train saw Bischoff on the tracks, sounded the horn and used the emergency brake, but was not able to stop, Stessel said.

The accident occurred between Harristown Road and Maple Avenue, just east of the Glen Rock borough hall train station, he said. The train had not yet stopped at the station.

The train was No. 1227, traveling on the Bergen County line, he said. It had departed from Hoboken at 8:15 p.m., and the last stop was in Waldwick.

None of the approximately 25 passengers aboard the train was injured, Stessel said. The passengers were delayed for about an hour and transferred to another train.

This isn't the first time that people have been struck and killed by trains in New Jersey, and it's a problem that is nationwide. There is no good reason to walk on the tracks, particularly when train traffic is frequent as it is on the Bergen Line. Yet, I've repeatedly seen people crossing just ahead of oncoming train traffic.

It got so bad at Radburn, New Jersey, that NJ Transit police were called to stand and prevent people from crossing the tracks ahead of trains that were entering the station to pick up passengers.

My thoughts and prayers go out to Bischoff's family and hope that their sorrow can be translated into some good by reminding people to stay off the tracks.