Plane Lands On Highway, Conductor Punched Over Fare Dispute: NJ Weekend

A multi-vehicle police chase ended in a crash, a blaze ripped through a large industrial building and two children were injured in a chain reaction crash.

Here are the headlines you may have missed from the weekend:

Conductor Punched Over Fair Dispute On NJ Transit

An NJ Transit conductor was hospitalized Friday after being assaulted during a fare dispute aboard a North Jersey Coast Line train.

The train, carrying about 150 passengers from Long Branch to Bay Head, made an emergency stop at Bradley Beach station after a conductor was punched in the nose by a passenger who refused to buy a ticket. A second conductor suffered minor injuries.

The train was canceled, leaving passengers to arrange ride shares to reach their Ocean County destinations.

Read More Here: Long Branch Man Assaulted NJ Transit Conductor In Fare Dispute, Police Say

Fire Tears Through Chemical Factory

A massive fire tore through a large industrial building in Paterson late Friday night, requiring multiple alarms as firefighters battled water supply issues in the area, according to the Paterson Firefighters Association-FMBA Local 2.

Units were dispatched at 11:26 p.m. to the corner of Holsman and Haledon avenues, where Battalion 3 arrived to find 28 Piercy St. heavily involved in flames. The blaze quickly escalated to three alarms before climbing to additional alarms amid water supply challenges.

The building appeared to be unoccupied at the time of the fire. No fatalities or injuries had been reported as of early Saturday.

Pedestrian Seriously Injured In Crash

A 77-year-old Wharton woman was airlifted to a hospital after being struck by a vehicle outside the Roxbury Mall Saturday morning, according to media reports.

The crash occurred around 10:42 a.m. in front of the UPS Store, News 12 New Jersey reported. A 50-year-old Roxbury woman was behind the wheel of a 2025 Honda Pilot at the time. The woman suffered serious injuries.

2 Kids, Firefighter Injured in Multi-Vehicle Crash

A chain-reaction crash on McCarter Highway in Newark sent two children and a firefighter to the hospital Sunday evening, according to media reports.

Officers responded around 5:13 p.m. near Exit 4 after a driver stopped suddenly in the northbound lanes, triggering a five-car pileup, NJ.com reported. The driver who initiated the crash was not struck and left the scene. A Newark firefighter who stopped in the southbound lanes to assist was rear-ended in a separate two-car collision. All three were taken to University Hospital for evaluation.

NJ Plane Makes Emergency Landing In PA

A small plane made an emergency landing on Interstate 78 in Pennsylvania's Lehigh County Saturday morning after the pilot reported engine trouble shortly after departing New Jersey, according to media reports.

Pennsylvania State Police received reports of the aircraft on I-78 eastbound near Mile Marker 45.6 in Weisenberg Township at 9:19 a.m. The 1995 Rockwell Commander 114B had taken off from Solberg Airport in New Jersey and was bound for Indiana when the pilot, a 65-year-old Michigan man, was forced to set the plane down on the highway after being unable to reach a nearby airport, News 12 reported

A 34-year-old New Jersey woman was also aboard. Neither occupant was injured. The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating, ABC 7 reported.

Multi-Vehicle Chase Ends In Crash After Suspects Flee

A group of car thieves led Mantua Township police on a multi-vehicle pursuit early Saturday morning that ended when one of the stolen cars overturned after jumping railroad tracks, authorities said.

Officers were dispatched around 2:47 a.m. to the Buckingham Village Development after receiving reports of four to five suspects checking vehicle door handles. Police found a Jeep Grand Cherokee on Lestershire Drive with suspects attempting to break into vehicles. When the patrol car approached, the suspects fled in the Jeep. Two additional stolen vehicles — a black sedan believed to be a Hyundai and a Kia — were also located and fled from officers.

An officer pursued the Jeep and the black sedan onto Route 55 North, while another pursued the Kia. The Kia turned onto Mercer Avenue, accelerated at high speed and jumped railroad tracks, traveling around 150 feet before overturning onto its roof at the end of West Mercer Avenue, police said.

Suspects fled the crashed vehicle on foot. One juvenile was found near West Atlantic Avenue and Grey Fox Circle and taken to Cooper Hospital for evaluation. The Route 55 pursuit was terminated shortly after the crash due to safety concerns, police said.

The investigation is ongoing, authorities said.

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