NTSB releases preliminary report in crash that killed NJ Transit River Line operator

A NJ Transit River Line operator who died in a crash in Burlington County last month was killed when a branch from a fallen tree on the tracks penetrated the train’s windshield, federal authorities have found.

Jessica Haley, 41, of Levittown, was killed and 23 passengers were injured in the crash, which occurred just after 6 a.m. in Mansfield Township on Oct. 14. The train had been traveling southbound from Trenton when it struck a tree that had already been on the tracks at the time of the crash, the National Transportation Safety Board said in a newly released preliminary report.

Immediately following the crash, it was not clear whether the tree had already been down, or if it had fallen and hit the train as it was traveling.

The NTSB found that the train had been traveling at 64 mph through a curve in dark conditions as it approached the tree. Haley, the NTSB said, activated the train’s track brakes and emergency brakes, causing it to decelerate for about 430 feet before hitting the tree. The train stopped roughly 880 feet past the point of impact, the NTSB said.

The train was carrying 41 passengers in addition to Haley at the time of the crash. While nearly two dozen passengers were hurt, their injuries were described as not life-threatening, and they were treated at a nearby hospital before being released, the NTSB said.

Haley was a single mother with three young boys, family members said in a statement announcing their intent to sue NJ Transit and others following the crash. She had worked as an operator on the River Line for about two decades prior to her death, her family said.

The NTSB said its investigation into the crash remains ongoing, and would focus on NJ Transit’s right-of-way maintenance and the crashworthiness of its trains’ design.