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Preliminary reports suggest the crash was an accident or caused by operator error, according to five law enforcement officials, though they stress it is early in the investigation

By Jonathan Dienst, Brian Thompson, Marc Santia and Rana Novini

At least three people died and up to 100 were hurt when an NJ Transit train crashed into the station in Hoboken at the height of Thursday’s morning rush, leaving twisted piles of metal and bricks and causing part of the highly trafficked terminal to collapse.

Preliminary reports suggest the 8:45 a.m. crash – involving train No. 1614 on the Pascack Valley Line from Spring Valley – was accidental or caused by operator error, according to five law enforcement officials. They stressed it was early in the investigation, though.

VideoPassengers Describe Screaming, Horror in Crash Aftermath

Sources told NBC New York one of the fatalities was a woman who was on a platform in the station. NJ Transit was expected to hold a news briefing later Thursday with more details.

Jersey City Medical Center said it had more than 50 patients from the crash, including three trauma patients. Some were being treated in the emergency room, though most “walking wounded” were being seen in a cafeteria given the volume of patients.

Dramatic Images: NJ Transit Train Crashes in HobokenDramatic Images: NJ Transit Train Crashes in Hoboken

Pictures on social media showed serious damage to the train and extensive structural damage to the station. At least one of the NJ Transit cars appeared to be partially inside the building, with some of the supporting beams that hold up the canopy over the tracks caved in around it.

Photos showed emergency crews standing on piles of rubble, peering into the mangled wreckage of the train in a frantic search for survivors.

Close-Up Video of Crashed NJ Transit Train at Hoboken TerminalClose-Up Video of Crashed NJ Transit Train at Hoboken TerminalClose-up video shows the train that crashed in to Hoboken Terminal Thursday morning. (Published 2 hours ago)

It appeared the train went through a bumper stop at the end of the track. It came to a stop in a covered area between the station’s indoor waiting area and the platform. From above, chopper footage showed the glass arches atop the building crunched like an accordion over the platform.

Jamie Weatherhead-Sal, a passenger in the first car of the train, told NBC 4 New York the train “just felt like it never stopped. It didn’t slow down. It didn’t brake.”

Survivor Recounts NJ Transit Train CrashSurvivor Recounts NJ Transit Train CrashJamie Weatherhead-Sal, a passenger aboard the NJ Transit train that plowed into Hoboken Terminal, recounts the harrowing experience. (Published 37 minutes ago)

Others said the train seemed to be moving faster than usual as it entered the station, but they didn’t think much of it — until the impact.

“You felt like this huge, huge bang,” said passenger Steve Mesiano. “The lights went off, and then you started to see like –- I was in the window seat, so I could see like outside, what was happening, and the roof just collapsed on the first car.”

Commuters: How to Get Around After Hoboken Train Crash

Tearful passengers described people screaming, bloodied and trapped in the first car. Several people who were on the train tweeted they felt “lucky to be alive.”

Photo credit: Google Earth, NBC

Passenger Bhagyesh Shah said he boarded the train at Secaucus. He said he normally stands near the window, but stood in the back of the train Thursday.

“The next thing I know, we are plowing through the platform,” Shah said. “It was for a couple seconds, but it felt like an eternity.”

He said the train was crowded, particularly the first two cars, because they make for an easy exit into the Hoboken station and onto the PATH train. Passengers in the second car broke the emergency windows to get out.

“I saw a woman pinned under concrete,” Shah said. “A lot of people were bleeding; one guy was crying.”

Helicopter Footage Shows Wreckage at Hoboken TerminalHelicopter Footage Shows Wreckage at Hoboken TerminalHelicopter footage from over the scene of a train crash at Hoboken Terminal. (Published 2 hours ago)

NBC staffer Aracely Hillebrecht, 32, said she was standing on the platform when the train barreled into the terminal.

“I was about 30 feet from it. I heard screeching and we saw the train and someone yelled, ‘Run!” Hillebrecht said. “We heard the train crash and heard the sound of water as the roof collapsed. People were scrambling and running away.”

Hillebrecht said she saw people who were “really hurt” and “some couldn’t walk.”

Nearby Jersey City Medical Center said it had sent several trauma and emergency units to the scene, which was swarming with and first responders within minutes of the crash.

Emergency Responders On Scene of Hoboken Train CrashEmergency Responders On Scene of Hoboken Train CrashEmergency responders at the scene of a PATH train crash in Hoboken on Thursday morning (Published 2 hours ago)

Hoboken, which is New Jersey Transit’s fifth-busiest stations with 15,000 boardings per weekday, is the final stop for several train lines and a transfer point for many commuters on their way to New York City.

All PATH service at the Hoboken station is suspended. NJ Transit said service in and out of the station was also shut down; NJ Transit bus and private carrier buses were cross-honoring tickets. Ferry service was suspended.

#Hoboken#traincrash train hit the station pic.twitter.com/5xteTKLavU
— Leon O (@monduras) September 29, 2016

The Federal Railroad Administration says it has investigators en route to the scene. The National Transportation Safety Board is also responding.

A crash at the same station on a different train line injured more than 30 people in 2011. The PATH commuter train crashed into bumpers at the end of the tracks on a Sunday morning.

Source: At Least 3 Dead, Up to 100 Hurt in Major Hoboken Train Crash | NBC New York http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/Major-Train-Accident-in-Hoboken-Injuries-Reported-395249051.html#ixzz4Ley2r9Gy
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