New York

87-Year-Old Driver Killed When Train Hits Car in New Jersey; NJ Transit Service Suspended

An 87-year-old driver was killed when his car was hit by an oncoming train in New Jersey, starting a fire and forcing NJ Transit officials to suspend service along the line for hours.

NJ Transit spokeswoman Jennifer Nelson says the preliminary investigation shows the driver entered the tracks at a grade crossing on First Street in Westwood and drove along the tracks for some distance.

At some point, police say the car got stuck. It's not clear how long the car was stuck there before it was hit by the train at about 5:30 a.m. 

The train, which left from Spring Valley, New York, at about 5 a.m., was the first train to go through the area that morning. The train was just east of the Westwood station when it hit the car, causing the vehicle to burst into flames.

Emerson Police Chief Donald Rossi said that debris that was kicked up along the tracks appears to show that the car was trying to get off the tracks.

"You can tell by the stone that was torn up," Rossi said. "It appeared that the vehicle was trying to remove itself."

The man, who has been identified as Vaclav W. Budak of Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, was taken to the hospital, where he later died. 

NJ Transit officials say that there were 110 passengers on the train at the time of the collision. None of the passengers was hurt.

Service on the Pascack Valley Line was suspended in both directions for about four hours after the collision. 

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