After Middletown Man Dies, Lawmaker Wants AEDs On All Trains

MIDDLETOWN, NJ — After a Middletown man died of a suspected heart attack while on a North Jersey Coast line train earlier this week, a state lawmaker is proposing a bill that would require all NJ Transit trains keep defibrillators on board.

The Middletown man is Alfred Wood, 63. Just past 5 p.m. Monday at Penn Station, he boarded a North Jersey Coast Line train headed southbound towards home, NJ Transit officials said.

However, before the train pulled out of Penn, the conductor made an announcement on board that a doctor was needed in the third car. According to reports, a doctor on board responded and Wood was briefly revived. However, he died later, while still on the train.

Police and EMS were also called. An AED that was kept nearby in Penn Station was brought to the scene to try and revive him, an Amtrak spokesman told NJ.com. However, it was too late.

The NJ Transit train did not have an automatic external defibrillator (AED) on board.

Assemblyman Daniel Benson, D-Middlesex, introduced a bill Thursday requiring NJ Transit to supply every train with a defibrillator

“In light of the recent incident, we may never know whether an AED would have helped, but we can’t wait until the next tragedy to find out,” Benson said. “It needs to be the standard, not the exception, that resuscitation devices and AEDs are available onboard trains in the event of any medical emergencies.”

New Jersey law requires AEDs be in various public places, such as schools. They are not yet required to be on NJ Transit trains, with the thinking that the trains travel short distances between train stations, which have them. Every Amtrak train that has a café/dining car has an AED on board, an Amtrak spokesman told NJ.com.

Wood worked as a operations manager at NYU Langone Medical Center. He lived in Staten Island before relocating to Middletown.

He is survived by his wife of 35 years and their daughter. Wood is remembered as a proud American, a Yankees fan and a man who loved spending precious time with his family, according to his obituary. On his obituary wall, several people who commuted with him into New York City commented how sad they were to hear of his untimely death.

Services will be Saturday at 9:15 a.m. at St. Mary’s Chapel in New Monmouth. His family asked that in lieu of flowers, donations be made in his name to the American Heart Association.

Related: Middletown Man Dies Of Possible Heart Attack At Penn Station