Passenger dies at Penn Station despite rescue efforts by doctor on train
A man who might have suffered a heart attack after boarding an NJ Transit train last night died while the train was at the New York Penn Station platform, according to the agency.
NJ Transit is a New Jersey state-owned public transportation system. The man was Alfred Wood, a 63-year-old Middletown, New Jersey, resident, according to Amtrak.
"At approximately 5:05 p.m. Monday, a conductor on board (North Jersey Coast Line) train 3363, which was loading customers at Track 7 at PSNY, was notified by a customer that a male customer in the third car did not feel well," NJ Transit spokesman Jim Smith wrote in an email to the North Jersey Record, which is part of the Paste BN Network.
The Amtrak Police Department and EMS were notified by a train conductor that there was a possible heart attack in progress.
"An on board announcement over the PA was immediately made asking for a medical doctor to come to the third car," Smith wrote.
Smith said that a doctor responded to the announcement and was able to briefly revive the individual, but he later died. The train remained at the station until about 8 p.m.
Peter Martino witnessed the incident and the doctor's attempt to help the man.
"He was performing CPR on the man and said he was breathing. When the doctor asked the NJ Transit conductor if they had, I believe he said mask, the conductor said, 'No,'" Martino said. "Then he asked if they had a BAG or anything, the conductor said, 'No, nothing.'"
When asked whether NJ Transit trains are required to have resuscitation masks onboard, agency spokeswoman Nancy Snyder said they are not required, nor are defibrillators.
Amtrak Police closed their investigation into the incident.
Federal Railroad Administration guidelines from the late-1990s require that "intercity" trains have a first-aid kit that includes a resuscitation mask, but that is not required of "commuter" trains, which is what NJ Transit is classified as.