NJ TRANSIT Riders Grow Irate Over Stubborn Passenger's Refusal To Move Handbag On Packed Train
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Crowded trains during the commute are a frustration felt by many, but what happens when someone takes up an extra seat for no good reason?
Riders on NJ TRANSIT know space is at a premium during the evening commute, so other passengers wouldn't stand idly while one woman refused to move her designer handbag that was taking up a seat.
"It's already a late train," one straphanger can be heard saying on cell phone video of the seat standoff. "Like, come on. You're delaying everybody.
Those who were there say the woman in question just wouldn't budge.
"She was nasty," Thaedra Frangos, who recorded the video of the altercation, said. "She was downright nasty."
Frangos was sitting nearby when the argument began.
"A gentleman got on, asked her if she could move her bag," Frangos said. "She didn't respond because she had her headphones in. He touched her bag, she swiped his hand away and said, you know, 'don't touch my stuff'."
Someone then grabbed a conductor, further adding to the delay. Frangos says she decided to start recording out of fear for the conductor's safety, worried things could escalate even further.
Eventually, NJ TRANSIT Police boarded the train at Newark Penn Station and the woman left on her own accord -- much to everyone's relief.
"People were clapping, people were cheering, it was a lovely occasion," Frangos said.
NJ TRANSIT says it encourages customers to make every seat available.
