Man killed by bus in Port Authority bus terminal, causing extensive delays

Submitted by bus accident attorney, Jeffrey Hark

Buses arrive at the Port Authority Bus Terminal during the evening rush. A fatal accident in the terminal has disrupted the evening commute. (Larry Higgs | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)

A 67-year-old man was struck and killed by a bus inside the Port Authority Bus terminal at the height of the rush hour, which caused extensive delays at the height of the commute home, Thursday night.

The man, whose identity is being withheld until his family can be notified, was struck on the terminal’s third level, said Joseph Pentangelo, Port Authority police spokesman. Police were called at 5 p.m., and the man, from Garrison, N.Y., was pronounced dead at the scene, he said.

No passengers were aboard the bus when the accident happened and the bus driver was not injured, Pentangelo said. The bus was an NJ Transit bus scheduled to depart for Toms River, officials said.

The accident occurred on a ramp inside the sprawling bus terminal complex which wasn’t normally used by pedestrians, he said. Port Authority police are continuing to investigate the accident.

The accident caused a major disruption to the evening commute, which started to ease around 9:15 p.m., but cross honoring of NJ Transit bus tickets on the agencies trains, on PATH trains and by NY Waterway ferries remained in effect, Pentangelo said.

Earlier in the day, commuters reported extensive crowding and Port Authority officials were urging commuters to avoid the terminal and seek other modes of transportation.

“The lines were insane on the third floor. They were telling people to consider other ways to get home,” said Sean Arnell, a Jackson resident who works in Midtown
NJ Transit reported delays up to 60 minutes and also urged commuters to seek alternate transportation. NJ Transit cross honored bus tickets on the agencies trains, which also saw crowding.
Those who took to the rails ran into complications after a track switch failed at Portal Bridge and a train was disabled near Penn Station New York.

Note: An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated the location of the accident inside the bus terminal.

Larry Higgs may be reached at lhiggs@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @commutinglarry. Find NJ.com on Facebook.