Eric Boehlert mourned after bicycle, train crash in Montclair, NJ

UPDATE, April 9: NJ Transit confirmed the identity of Boehlert. Investigation into the deadly incident continued.

MONTCLAIR — A deadly crash involving a bicyclist and NJ Transit train in Montclair killed a highly-regarded media critic — as identified by such celebrity admirers as Jon Stewart and Hillary Clinton.

Eric Boehlert, 56, had written for Rolling Stone, Billboard, Salon and Media Matters, as well as founding PressRun.Media. He was a frequent commentator on such cable news channels as MSNBC and CNN.

The fatal incident happened Monday around 9:40 p.m., near Montclair’s Watchung Avenue station, as reported by Montclair Local.

Montclair-Boonton Line rail service was suspended in both directions for a stretch of time following the incident.

The identity of the bicyclist remained under investigation as of Wednesday, according to an NJ Transit spokesperson. However, the news of Boehlert's passing spread quickly across Twitter.

“Rest In Peace Eric Boehlert. Greatly admired his passion and tenacity,” Stewart said on Twitter.

Former U.S. Secretary of State Hilliary Clinton also tweeted, “Eric Boehlert’s death is terrible news. I’m devastated for his family and friends and will miss his critical work to counteract misinformation and media bias. What a loss.”

Fellow journalist, Soledad O’Brien called the loss 'crushing news.'

She sent condolences to Boehlert’s wife and children, and called the fallen author “a fierce and fearless defender of the truth.”

Boehlert did a Media Matters interview with Montclair State University in 2014, as seen below:

Editor's note: A previous version of this article had Boehlert's age as 57.

Erin Vogt is a reporter and anchor for New Jersey 101.5. You can reach her at erin.vogt@townsquaremedia.com

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