NJ Transit “required its train crew employees to assume the role of first responders/law enforcement officers with respect to passengers and others on board its trains, at its stations, and at its station platforms,” the lawsuit states. Other employees recounted incidents where passengers hurled hot coffee on them, threw them over train seats, and wrestled them on platforms.Ĭrew members consequently suffered injuries including concussions, torn tendons, and post-traumatic stress disorder, according to the complaint. In a June 29 incident, a crew member said an “angry mob” formed around him at New York Penn Station after a Raritan line train became disabled, but no one responded when he called for help, forcing him to flee to an empty railcar and lock himself inside for safety, according to the complaint. In some cases, the abusive passengers were fare-dodgers who became combative when caught.Ĭrew members who called supervisors and transit police for help often were left waiting, according to the complaint. Incidents detailed occurred since the start of the pandemic and often erupted after train crews acted to enforce the agency’s mask mandate for passengers and other rail rules, according to the complaint. In a 36-page complaint filed in federal court, the conductors, fare collectors, and other crew members described encounters with irate passengers who assaulted, insulted, spat at, and threatened them with guns and knives.

Fourteen train crew members have sued NJ Transit for negligence, claiming the agency failed to protect them from abusive passengers.

Nj transit train