animal stories

Bull in Newark Penn Station chaos avoids slaughterhouse

Trains were subject to 45-minute delays between Newark and New York Penn Station during the chaos on Thursday

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The rogue bull that disrupted NJ Transit service between New York and New Jersey for tens of thousands of people as it raced along the tracks at Newark Penn Station a day ago has gotten a reprieve.

NJ Transit confirmed Friday that the bull, which it called "Ricardo," had been safely transported to his new home, Skylands Animal Sanctuary in Wantage, where he joins a cow that ran amok in Brooklyn in March.

It wasn't immediately clear how the bull, seen running along one of the tracks, got loose, but video showed it running up and down tracks at the station as stunned onlookers watched with bewilderment. It happened just before 11 a.m. Thursday.

Officials say the bull made its way to the transit hub after escaping somewhere closer to Newark International Airport, prompting delays of up to 45 minutes across the river.

After its jaunt through Newark Penn Station, the bull went back down toward the airport. Police caught up with it behind a building on Frelinghuysen Avenue near Victoria Street, down the tracks from the station.

Newark and Port Authority police officers were able to corral the beast inside a fenced lot, Newark Public Safety Director Fritz Fragé said.

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Not the most typical reason for a delay ...

No injuries were reported.

This is not the first rodeo for emergency personnel when it comes to lassoing a rogue bull disrupting transit in the NYC area. In 2021, a loose bull forced a highway shutdown on Long Island. Another caused a stir on the streets of Brooklyn a few years earlier.

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