Passengers Flee as NJ Train Bursts into Flames (Video)

Commuters choke on smoke, trains halted, and chaos erupts during rush hour inferno

In a terrifying rush-hour scare, a fire erupted beneath a PATH train in New Jersey early Monday morning, filling subway cars with thick smoke and forcing panicked passengers to flee for their lives.

The incident took place just after 6:15 a.m. at the Newport PATH Station in Jersey City, as an eastbound train suddenly began spewing smoke and flames from beneath one of its cars. Commuters onboard quickly realized something was very wrong—and chaos broke out.

“Move, move, move!” one passenger screamed in harrowing video footage as riders scrambled to pry open doors and escape the smoke-choked train.

Within moments, thick black smoke overtook the cars. Multiple passengers were treated for smoke inhalation on the scene, though no serious injuries were immediately reported.

Footage from the platform shows flames spitting from under the train as emergency sirens wailed in the background. Fire crews swarmed the station as plumes of smoke billowed into the tunnels, bringing the entire line to a standstill.

“I couldn’t breathe,” said Olivia Martinez, a commuter caught in the chaos. “It was pitch black inside the car, and we had no idea what was happening. I honestly thought we were going to suffocate in there.”

The Port Authority quickly suspended PATH service between Hoboken and World Trade Center, as well as between Journal Square and 33rd Street, leaving thousands of morning travelers stranded or rerouted.

The timing couldn’t have been worse: sweltering temperatures, packed platforms, and stalled trains made for a miserable Monday for commuters across the region.

Fire investigators remained on-site through the morning, working to determine the cause of the fire. Officials have not yet confirmed whether mechanical failure or another issue sparked the blaze.

This comes just days after AMTRAK made headlines when passengers were trapped in a train tunnel without air conditioning during a heat wave—fueling growing concerns about the state of America’s aging transit systems.

The Port Authority has yet to issue a full statement on the train fire, but said in an early update that “multiple individuals were assessed for smoke exposure and transported as necessary.”

For now, the investigation continues—but shaken riders are left wondering just how safe their daily commute really is.