Family of NJ conductor killed in crash plans to sue NJ Transit, state for alleged neglect

Train crews on New Jersey Transit’s River Line have for years raised safety concerns about trees falling onto the tracks, according to a lawyer for the family of an operator who was killed on Monday when her train struck a downed tree.

Those fears turned into a nightmare for 41-year-old Jessica Haley, a 20-year NJ Transit veteran whose light rail train slammed into a large section of a tree around 6 a.m. near Roebling Station in Burlington County. The fatal crash, which injured at least 23 passengers, happened on a segment of the line that cuts through a wooded area.

“The situation was so bad that the conductors suggested having a track car go down the line every morning before the first passenger car went down to make sure there were no trees on the railway,” said attorney Kila Baldwin, who is representing Haley’s family.

Haley was driving the first southbound train of the day on the River Line around 6 a.m. when she crashed. NJ Transit officials said 40 people were on board.

Haley and her sister, Rebecca Haley, had both worked for the company Alstom, which contracts workers and equipment to NJ Transit.

When reached by phone, Rebecca said her sister liked her job, but her real passion was spending time with her three sons – ages 13, 8 and 6 – who are struggling to cope with the news.

“They’re in shock, kind of disbelief right now,” she told Gothamist.

The boys are currently staying with their father, who was separated from Haley.

Haley’s family filed a notice of intent to sue the state on Monday, according to Baldwin, who said they are seeking monetary damages for Haley’s death, and will likely be seeking punitive damages from NJ Transit and the other entities involved.

“At one point, certain dangerous trees were marked with X’s, but nothing was done to remove those or make sure that they were cleared so they didn’t fall on the tracks,” Baldwin said, adding that the crash happened well before daylight.

In a statement posted to X on Monday, Alstom said it was “devastated” about Haley’s death, but an employee reached by phone on Tuesday declined to comment.

“Our prayers are with their family and our thoughts are with the passengers who were injured during this tragic accident. We are offering all of our employees who work for River LINE additional support during this difficult time,” the company said in its statement.

NJ Transit did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

“This really was a preventable tragedy,” Baldwin said. “Shame on NJ Transit for not doing something about it before this happened.”