MONTCLAIR, NJ – Seventeen passengers were injured Friday evening when two NJ Transit trains collided on the Montclair-Boonton Line, causing one car to derail on a stretch of track west of Bay Street Station. Officials described the incident as a “minor derailment,” but the collision sparked a major emergency response and an immediate federal investigation.
The crash occurred around 6:47 p.m. when two commuter trains “made contact,” according to NJ Transit. Emergency responders treated 17 passengers for injuries described as minor and non-life-threatening. All riders were safely evacuated from the trains and transported from the scene.
NJ Transit officials said service was suspended in both directions between Bay Street and Newark Broad Street as crews and investigators worked to secure the area and inspect the tracks. CEO Kevin Corbett Kolluri and senior NJ Transit staff responded to the site along with members of the NJ Transit Police Department, who are leading the initial investigation.
“The safety of our passengers, employees, and first responders remains our primary focus,” NJ Transit said in a statement posted to social media. Governor Phil Murphy reposted the agency’s updates and confirmed that he was monitoring the situation closely.
The National Transportation Safety Board announced that it is dispatching a team of investigators to Montclair to examine the circumstances of the crash. “The NTSB is sending a team of investigators to Friday’s collision of two New Jersey Transit trains in Montclair, New Jersey, which resulted in a single car derailing,” the agency said in a statement.
Officials said the two trains were operating along a dark stretch of the Montclair-Boonton Line when they came into contact. Crews remained at the scene late into the night to assess damage, recover the derailed car, and begin documenting evidence for the NTSB inquiry.
No fatalities were reported, and NJ Transit said full service will resume once safety inspections are complete and federal investigators clear the tracks.