NJ native was one train behind deadly Metro blast in Brussels

When the train he was on stopped suddenly due to an "incident on the line," New Jersey native Evan Lamos had no idea just how close he was to a deadly explosion at the Maelbeek subway station in central Brussels that killed about 20 people.

The 30-year-old, who was born in the Garden State and raised in Georgia before moving to Belgium at age 15, was reading about the attacks on his cell phone when his Metro car stopped suddenly," NBC News reported.

Throughout the ordeal, Lamos, a multimedia director for @EurActiv, according to his social media profile, tweeted from the train as the car stopped and passengers were evacuated. He said he "felt a blast of air" and his "ears popped" after Schuman station.

He then said he and other passengers could still hear what he described as "soft thudding" in the distance as smoke began to fill the tunnel and everyone was evacuated through the rear of the Metro. According to Lamos' tweets, the passengers walked along the tracks to exit the station.

Videos he posted depict a relatively calm group of commuters being guided off the train as a female voice is heard on a loudspeaker saying "an incident has just occurred on the line. We are currently trying to resolve the problem."

Explosions rocked the Brussels airport and subway system Tuesday, prompting a lockdown of the Belgian capital and resulting in heightened security across Europe. At least 30 people were killed and dozens were wounded. The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attacks.

Tuesday afternoon, Gov. Chris Christie held a press conference during which he announced that while there is no intelligence to suggest that there is any threat to New Jersey in the wake of the deadly explosions in Brussels, security throughout the Garden State and on mass transit has been increased.

Toniann Antonelli is the digital managing editor for news at NJ 101.5. Reach her at toniann.antonelli@townsquaremedia.com, or on Twitter @ToniRadio1015.