Dust, Debris, 'Screams Of Shock': Passenger Shares What He Witnessed
JERSEY CITY, N.J. (CBSNewYork) -- Moments after leaving the hospital, a passenger from the first car of the NJ TRANSIT train that slammed into a wall in the Hoboken station Thursday morning shared what he witnessed.
Outside of Jersey City Medical Center, which treated more than 50 patients, Mike Scelzo said it started as a typical morning commute.
"We were driving along, riding along. I was talking with the person that I rode in with," he said. "Then suddenly, everything just stopped really harshly."
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Falling debris hit Scelzo in the face, leaving a bruise.
"It got a little dark. I noticed there were things kind of falling from the ceiling, and there was just a haze of smoke," he said. "Then everything was dusty and dirty.
"Then people started -- I think a few started crying, a few started screaming. But not screams of -- it didn't feel like they were screams of hurt, it was more screams of shock."
Scelzo said he and his fellow passengers opened an emergency window and climbed to safety.
Of the 51 patients treated at Jersey City Medical Center, approximately 40 of them were brought in on buses with minor injuries, CBS2's Sonia Rincon reports.
Scelzo said he felt incredibly lucky to walk away with only bumps and bruises.
