Train kills man at Princeton Junction

PRINCETON JUNCTION, April 24 — A 39-year-old man was hit and killed by an Amtrak train at Princeton Junction station shortly before 3 p.m. yesterday. The incident led to the temporary suspension of all southbound trains to Princeton Junction.

Witnesses said the man "just stepped into [the train]," a West Windsor policeman at the scene said. No details about the man's identity were available from Amtrak police, who are handling the investigation. The death may have been a suicide.

"There was an indication that the individual stepped into the path of the train, but that investigation hasn't been concluded," Amtrak spokesman Marc Magliari said.

The five-car Amtrak Keystone train was traveling through the station en route to Harrisburg, Pa., and was "proceeding at normal track speed" when the incident occurred, Magliari said. Amtrak trains that do not stop at Princeton Junction rocket through the station at over 100 miles per hour.

The two tracks beside the Trenton-bound platform were closed for two hours yesterday, as police photographed the scene and removed the man's remains in a body bag. The train involved was detained for about an hour at the scene and then allowed to proceed. No one on board suffered injuries.

New Jersey Transit suspended all southbound service to Princeton Junction and Hamilton. Passengers bound for those stations had to travel to Trenton and then take a northbound train to reach their destinations. Dinky service remained unaffected.

At the scene of the incident, trains crept through the station as passengers craned their necks to get a glimpse of what was causing the holdup. Commuters milled around, waiting for the situation to clear up so they could be on their way. NJT and Amtrak police were also on the scene.

Later, firefighters hosed down the platform and tracks. Shortly after 5 p.m., all four tracks and both platforms were back in use, and trains were running through the station at normal speeds. NJT trains continued to be delayed by 10 to 15 minutes, but they were back on schedule later in the evening.

Sergeant Patrick McCormick, a West Windsor policeman who helped respond to the call yesterday afternoon, said that yesterday was not the first apparent suicide that has occurred on Princeton Junction's tracks.

"Without looking at statistics, I would say we probably get two [incidents] a year," he said. "The tendency seems to be holidays; people get depressed."

Magliari said the investigation into the death will be continued by Amtrak police and the local coroner's office. Because the incident occurred on the Northeast Corridor tracks, which are owned by Amtrak between New York and Washington, it falls under the jurisdiction of railroad police.