SUV gets hit by train after driving onto NJ Transit tracks

🚅 The SUV was struck by a train in the Atco section of Waterford

🚅 Video shows the train located away from the nearest crossing

WATERFORD — An SUV that drove onto the tracks was struck by an NJ Transit train Thursday night on the Atlantic City Line.

Train #4639 carrying 30 passengers which left Philadelphia's 30th Street Station just after 7 p.m. and due in Atlantic City at 8:37 p.m. was struck around 7:50 p.m. at the Bartram Avenue crossing in the Atco section of Waterford, according to NJ Transit spokesman Everett Merrill.

None of the passengers and crew were injured.

A Waterford police officer who was at the scene before the crash removed the driver from the vehicle before it was hit. The SUV was unoccupied at the time of impact.

The driver turned left at the crossing and drove the SUV approximately 30 feet south on the track, according to Merrill. He did not know what led the driver to drive on the tracks.

Video shows SUV located away from crossing

Video of the crash scene shows the SUV being towed from a location away from the crossing with most of the damage in the back of the vehicle.  The vehicle was located near the Waterford Township Senior Citizens Center.

A commenter on the Waterford Township police Facebook page post about the incident said the impact sounded like a bomb had gone off. Another witness said the SUV was sitting on the tracks for 10-15 minutes before being struck by the train.

NJ Transit police are investigating the incident.  No charges have been filed.

Service on the line was delayed the rest of the evening and back to normal by morning. Passengers continued their trip via bus.

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