‘Mystery train’ on NJ Transit tracks, dead body in other train car both ID’d

GLEN ROCK — A "mystery train" blamed for starting a brush fire along NJ Transit tracks in North Jersey on Saturday may not so mysterious after all. And a man found dead on a RiverLine train has been identified.

Glen Rock Fire Chief Thomas Jenning told NorthJersey.com Monday that a work train hauling rocks may have caused several brush fires in Suffern, New York, on Saturday and along the Bergen Main Line south to Glen Rock.

Jenning had previously said he'd spoken to NJ Transit about the train, and officials there didn't seem to know anything about the train or what it was doing there. NJ Transit only said this weekend it was investigating the incident.

But Spokeswoman Nancy Snyder in an email Monday said the work train was scheduled to be hauling rocks as part of a tie replacement project onBergen Main Line line's southern tier.

"We knew of the work train’s presence on the line, as we are of all freight and commuter train movements throughout our system," Snyder wrote.

After an inspection, it was determined the train did not have a fuel leak and was not dragging any equipment. NJ Transit Police are also reviewing video from passing commuter trains as part of their investigation of the incident.

"NJ Transit is determined to find the root cause of this incident and will take appropriate action based on the results of the investigation," Snyder said.

In a separate incident involving NJ Transit, spokeswoman Lisa Torbic identified a man found dead on a southbound RiverLine Light Rail train on Sunday morning as Timothy Fink, 50, of the Roebling section of Florence. She said the circumstances of his death remain under investigation.