80-year-old driver takes wrong turn onto NJ Transit tracks in Rutherford

🚆An 80-year-old driver ended up on NJ Transit tracks in Rutherford

🚆Police said the Wallington man was disoriented and took him home

🚆NJ Transit service was disrupted while crews removed the car

RUTHERFORD — An 80-year-old driver took a wrong turn Sunday night and ended up on NJ Transit tracks in Rutherford, disrupting service while the car was removed.

The Wallington resident made a turn from Park Avenue and wound up along the tracks around 8:45 p.m., according to NJ Transit. The man was "disoriented" and was not charged. He was taken home by police.

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Aerial view of the railroad crossing near NJ Transit's Rutherford station

Car disrupts NJ Transit service in Rutherford

Service on NJ Transit's Main-Bergen Line was disrupted while the car was removed from the tracks, according to Independent Online News, which was first to report the incident.

The crossing in the middle of Rutherford is gated but is very long and wider than a typical railroad crossing.

It's happened before on the Rutherford tracks

An SUV had to be hoisted off the tracks on March 27, 2024, when it was driven onto the tracks. It ended up straddling the rails and couldn't move.

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