Morning commuters are used to the occasional (or sometimes frequent) delay on their daily routes, whether it be a mechanical issue, weather-related, or just pure volume. But train riders Thursday could blame their later arrivals on something more unusual: a loose bull. Here’s what we know.
Reports about the bull running on the tracks of Newark Penn Station started to come in a little after 10:30 a.m., according to ABC 7. It’s not clear how the bull gained access to the station, but WCBS is reporting that the animal likely escaped from a slaughterhouse.
Photos and videos uploaded to social media show the lost bovine wandering the station tracks as travelers look on from the platform.
The bull eventually left the tracks and authorities searched for the roaming animal. Police told CBS New York that the bull was seen around Frelinghuysen Avenue near Victoria Street at approximately 10:45 a.m. Members of the Newark Police Emergency Services Unit and Port Authority Police Department helped to lead the animal into a fenced-in area, ending the morning search. A local animal sanctuary is expected to take in the bull and care for it.
Fox 5 has video of the bull being carried into a transport vehicle.
Sightings of the bull initially prompted service disruptions at the station as well as the nearby Newark Liberty Airport which advised travelers to allow for additional time if traveling there via Amtrak or New Jersey Transit due to “police activity.”
NJ Transit announced that service between Newark Penn Station and New York City would be subject to delays of up to 45 minutes as a result of the police activity due to the search for the bull. Tickets and passes for Hoboken, Newark Penn, and 33rd Street New York stations will be cross-honored by PATH.
After the bull’s containment, transit agencies like PATH and Amtrak have since returned to normal service.
