Panic erupts on NYC trains, leaving commuters stranded in carriages

THINK your morning commute is a drag? Spare a thought for these poor suckers, who were stuck in cramped carriages on a bridge for more than an hour.

Wednesday morning in New York City was a great day for Uber. Picture: Twitter / @Natasha_fong

THINK your morning commute into work is a drag?

Spare a thought for these New Yorkers, who were left waiting in crammed train carriages on the Williamsburg Bridge for more than an hour during Wednesday morning’s rush hour, with absolutely no idea what was going on.

After 45 minutes, some commuters began squeezing out of the windows and walking along the tracks, according to witnesses.

Up ahead, panic had erupted at the next subway station due to police activity, with hundreds of commuters aboard Manhattan-bound trains from Brooklyn trapped on a non-moving, crowded train.

Video taken from within the carriages shows someone trying to calm down fellow passengers, who were increasingly becoming agitated.

One video posted to Twitter shows what appears to be a broken window inside one of the carriages with the caption, “Someone yelled run and all hell broke loose.”

Something just happened on the J train. Someone yelled run and all hell broke loose. pic.twitter.com/qvFzb1z986

— wbernard (@wbernard) September 14, 2016

@shamar_walters sure. Train stopped suddenly. Some1 yelled run and every1 went nuts. Heard we crashed into train in front of us but not sure

— wbernard (@wbernard) September 14, 2016

In another, a woman can be heard crying out for someone to “call the police”, while other riders are banging on the glass in an attempt to get out.

“There was a point in time no one could move anymore and no one could escape. I thought someone got killed or shot,” one witness told theNew York Post. “No one was prepared. If it was a real incident there were no doors open, no [escape] route, no emergency responders, it was horrible.”

The carriage was eventually evacuated, but many would-be riders on the platforms had already abandoned their belongings and run for safety.

(Audio) panic on the J train at Essex this morning after an assault. Rumors of a knife sent everyone into a frenzy pic.twitter.com/F8SvQdzSux

— Cody Sanfilippo (@codysanfilippo) September 14, 2016

Officials later revealed what prompted the extensive transit delays and mass confusion, saying that an off-duty police officer was being questioned in connection with an attack on a female subway conductor.

Witnesses told police that when the conductor opened the door to her booth, it struck the off-duty cop who was on the train,New York Daily Newsreports. He then yelled at her and shoved her to the ground.

The attack prompted the conductor to pull the emergency brake, which sparked the panic and caused all incoming trains from Brooklyn to be halted. This meant commuters were also left stranded on platforms for more than an hour, and were eventually forced to abandon their regular route into the city.

The conductor was taken to the hospital for treatment. The whole ordeal occurred about 9am local time. Trains were up and running again after 10am, but with extensive delays.

Last month, in one of the more bizarre encounters to happen on a NYC subway train, a woman caused total chaos by releasing a container of crickets and worms inside a packed carriage.

She later told reporters that the whole thing was a prank, which she videotaped “to show what homeless people go through.”

The woman was eventually arrested.