TRAIN vs. CAR — AND SOUTH BRUNSWICK ISN’T SHAKING THIS OFF.
SOUTH BRUNSWICK — The sound wasn’t just loud. It was seismic. A freight train tore straight through a car stuck on the tracks in South Brunswick, ripping metal like paper and sending a shockwave through the entire township.
And in a twist that feels almost supernatural — no one was seriously hurt.
But the aftermath? That’s a different story. The community is rattled, the police are digging for answers, and residents are pointing at a problem New Jersey has watched grow for years: rail crossings that feel more like roulette wheels.
THE CRASH THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN A TRAGEDY
It happened at the Stults Road and Route 535 crossing — a spot commuters know too well. According to authorities, the car ended up on the tracks moments before a freight train barreled in, leaving zero room for escape and even less time for the engineer to hit the brakes.
Seconds. That’s all it took.
The train smashed through the vehicle, dragging debris before grinding to a stop hundreds of feet down the track. When police arrived, they found a scene of twisted steel and shattered glass — the kind that usually ends with a medical examiner, not a paramedic.
But this time, the driver walked away.
One officer described it simply:
“I don’t know how they survived that.”
SOUTH BRUNSWICK IS SHAKEN — AND FED UP
News of the crash spread fast. Parents texted each other. Neighborhood group chats lit up. Within minutes, people were replaying the scenarios they dread the most — school drop-offs, late-night drives, kids on bikes cutting across familiar shortcuts.
Residents say the crash felt like confirmation of what they've been warning officials about for years:
These crossings are outdated. Dangerous. And New Jersey is gambling with lives.
One longtime commuter put it like this:
“We cross those tracks every day. We trust those bells and lights with our kids’ lives. And then this happens? Nah — fix it.”
INVESTIGATORS DIG IN
South Brunswick Police and rail investigators have launched a full review of the crash. They're examining:
- Whether crossing signals activated properly
- Train speed and braking logs
- Why the car was on the tracks
- Visibility conditions at the time
- Possible mechanical issues
Nothing has been ruled out, and no official cause has been confirmed.
But in the court of public opinion? The verdict is already forming.
People want better barriers. More lighting. Stronger signals. Something more than “look both ways and hope.”
NEW JERSEY’S RAIL PROBLEM ISN’T NEW
New Jersey has hundreds of rail crossings that date back decades — older infrastructure in neighborhoods that have exploded with traffic, development, and population.
Add in commuter fatigue, distracted drivers, and the sheer number of trains running daily, and the margin for error shrinks to nothing.
South Brunswick residents say this crash is part of a bigger pattern:
- Near misses
- Cars getting stuck
- Bad visibility at dusk
- Bells that ring a second too late
- Drivers confused by the layout
And every one of those complaints has the same ending:
“Fix it before someone dies.”