NJ Transit tests 'security shields' to prevent attacks on bus drivers

[CPBO]

A stabbing in Newark that left a bus driver near death.

 

A brick thrown through the windshield of a bus at a nearby location in Newark.

 

Two armed robberies of bus drivers in Camden County.

 

Four violent attacks on NJ Transit bus drivers in less than three months have prompted the agency to hasten existing efforts to safeguard drivers.

 

The agency is testing a "security shield" that would surround the drivers — as in taxi cabs — and studying the experiences of transit agencies around the country, said agency spokesman John Durso Jr.

 

He said buses in Rochester, N.Y., use the shields.

 

"If our employees can’t feel safe out there, then our customers aren’t going to feel safe — so we’ve got to make sure that they’re safe," said NJ Transit executive director Jim Weinstein. "We’re looking at — and have been looking at for a while — ways of sort of doing for bus drivers what Plexiglas does for taxi drivers, that kind of thing. It’s a little bit of a challenge, because you don’t want to imprison the driver … But make no mistake. We take this stuff seriously."

 

NJ Transit bus driver Ihab Abounaja was stabbed multiple times by a passenger on Oct. 22 on Hawthorne Avenue in Newark.

 

The Amalgamated Transit Union has called for attempted murder charges against Maurice Young, 26, the man accused of attacking Abounaja. Young has been charged with aggravated assault and weapons offenses.

 

The incident, which the 42-year-old driver said was unprovoked, happened as Abounaja was unloading passengers.

 

"I said: ‘What are you doing, I have 3 kids, I didn’t do anything to you?’ " he told WABC-TV from his bed at home, as he recovered from stab wounds to his arms, neck, chest and head.

 

"This anger he had in his face. Like he was going to kill me."

 

He said the other passengers scattered without helping, and he called for Plexiglas shields for drivers.

 

Six days later, a brick was thrown through the windshield of a bus on Clinton Place, close to Hawthorne Avenue and also near Interstate 78. The driver was not hurt.

 

And in Camden County, Durso said, there were two separate armed robberies on the same bus line, the 400, between Philadelphia and Sicklerville.

 

The first was on Aug. 16, the second on Aug. 29, he said.

[CPBO]

NJT sounds scary to work for......

[553 Bridgeton]

Untill they get a smartcard system of some sorts njt wont be a safe place to work as long as full service lines are dealing with all that money. You better believe i paid for ex.2301, so I can get out of this shitstorm.

[DJ MC]

Please, watch the Nazi Banksters Crimes Ripple Effect at http://jforjustice.co.uk/banksters

[qjtransitmaster]

I hope it works out. This is also why I keep saying to my parents transit workers aren't getting paid enough cause they have to deal with thugs and animals every day.

 

thugs and trash is more like it. Human filfth is what they deal with daily. They have the patience of saints. I'd rather work behind the scenes

[go25]

Not long ago a b/o from Hilton, who is my friend, got robbed at Broad & Market while doin the 27. She left the job cz its already getting crazy for them, and i believe i saw one bus from Ironbound that HAD the shield added already months ago

[MiXxDiDdY]

Not long ago a b/o from Hilton, who is my friend, got robbed at Broad & Market while doin the 27. She left the job cuz its already getting crazy for them, and i believe i saw one bus from Ironbound that HAD the shield added already months ago

 

Holy shit, robbed at Broad and Market downtown!?! Jeez. Hilton routes are dangerous for drivers AND passengers though. I got robbed on the 27 for my sidekick phone back in 2009. I remember hearing the whole 39 bus getting robbed last year. There are fights on the 25 and 13 all the time. If they're gonna install security shields for the drivers, they need ACTIVE cameras on all the buses to protect the passengers too.

 

Oh and you're right, an Ironbound bus has a shield already. I saw it at least twice on the 66 going to UCC..same driver both times. Next time I catch it, I'm gonna get the bus number.

[IronboundNJT]

Holy shit, robbed at Broad and Market downtown!?! Jeez. Hilton routes are dangerous for drivers AND passengers though. I got robbed on the 27 for my sidekick phone back in 2009. I remember hearing the whole 39 bus getting robbed last year. There are fights on the 25 and 13 all the time. If they're gonna install security shields for the drivers, they need ACTIVE cameras on all the buses to protect the passengers too.

 

Oh and you're right, an Ironbound bus has a shield already. I saw it at least twice on the 66 going to UCC..same driver both times. Next time I catch it, I'm gonna get the bus number.

 

As my username says Im out of Ironbound our NABI's numbered in the 5650s IIRC and higher has the partitions but bcuz of the wayfarer the glass part doesnt strectch out far so I dont exactly feel safe with it. yes a passenger wouldnt be able to directly attack me but 1. the door doesnt lock in any proper way it uses some kind of suction which doesnt work most of the time I've had it fly open on me making hard turns so a passenger can easily pull it open and 2. bcuz the door stop short a group of idiots can hold your door close and still TOO TOO easily reach around it

 

As 553 said handling money not good idea i drive the 114 Ive had broken 8-900 dollars easily on a SUNDAY! So you guys can imagine saturdays and holiday weekends it only takes one bold, crazy, stupid, desperate person to end up having us drivers and or you riders in grabbing for life in a hosipital

[mfs NJT459]

Why can'r it be the same shields that Greyhound has?

[553 Bridgeton]

You can't have those kind of shields unless njts fare system went completely smart where the driver doesn't have do anything but drive.

[mfs NJT459]

Then select MCIs for the 551... Since its tickets only (except for via Farley Service Plaza)

[553 Bridgeton]

Tickets only the driver still has to be in contact with passengers.

[arimaas]

I can tell you this, making the crime a felony (or an indictable offense, as I believe it is called in NJ) will not make any difference. Criminals don't think before they act. What needs to be done is, in addition to the safety features, NJT Police are going to have to step up enforcement and patrol of buses. In addition, the local municipalities should be conducting random bus inspections. I know it is a lot easier said than done, but when I was a foot post cop in East Harlem, I would always board the bus and walk through from front to back, after speaking with the drive, or ride with the driver for one stop. Granted, I am a transit nerd so I didn't mind it, but I always liked to make sure the buses running on my post were safe. NJT PD (if they are not doing already -- I don't speak for them), will have to start assigning plain clothes officers to ride the buses through these towns (Newark, Camden, East Orange, etc.). Even uniform officers should be riding and letting these scum bags think twice. This is a video done by the NYC Transit Police (RIP) in 1995. Some of the same tactics can be applied to buses (especially the decoy unit).

[553 Bridgeton]

Lemme tell you something. Njtpd are worthless. Most of them couldn't get jobs with the njsp so Njtpd was there best bet.

[arimaas]

Lemme tell you something. Njtpd are worthless. Most of them couldn't get jobs with the njsp so Njtpd was there best bet.

 

I am not sure what your oppinion is based on, but you are entitled to it. I however, would tend to disagree with you. While they can't be everywhere at once, and are probably wofully under staffed, I wouldn't say they are worthless. And to generalize and say all NJTPD cops are NJSP "rejects" is not a fair statement. I have friends who left the NYPD, PAPD to go to NJTPD. Just because you had a run in with one or two of them, does not mean they are all bad.

[553 Bridgeton]

Run in with 1 or 2 of them? Lol. Now that's funny.

[BZGuy]

Run in with 1 or 2 of them? Lol. Now that's funny.

 

Exactly.....I've been traveling in and out of Secaucus Jct for over 6 months now and they are never on the platforms....even on the nights they have the Meadowlands rush.

 

But they are sure quick to call in the B/Os who idle more than 3 mins!:tdown:

[553 Bridgeton]

Thank you! They sure be quick to say some stupid shyt to me but yet don't say nothing to the smokers on the platform at ACBT. I have no respect for NJTPD; NONE WHAT SO EVER. What makes one think they going to fight crime. Hell when shyt does happen they call the state or local police anyways. Matter of fact they spend more time pulling cars over outside ACBT. You can say all you want, I'm assuming you were a cop so which is why you'd stick up for them. until you see what I see EVERYDAY I wouldnt talk.

[go25]

Holy shit, robbed at Broad and Market downtown!?! Jeez. Hilton routes are dangerous for drivers AND passengers though. I got robbed on the 27 for my sidekick phone back in 2009. I remember hearing the whole 39 bus getting robbed last year. There are fights on the 25 and 13 all the time. If they're gonna install security shields for the drivers, they need ACTIVE cameras on all the buses to protect the passengers too.

 

Oh and you're right, an Ironbound bus has a shield already. I saw it at least twice on the 66 going to UCC..same driver both times. Next time I catch it, I'm gonna get the bus number.

 

yeah probably the guy was on crack or cocaine, as soon as he did that, she got off the bus through the back door with the passengers and that's when Newark PD came,grabbed him n beat him to the ground. as for routes that are troublesome (13,25,27,39) i bet you that those buses where in the Irvington/Newark area doing there routes

 

as for the person who said that NJTPD should get on buses i remember being on the late nights 25 on Saturdays; the cops be on them from Penn Station up until Bergen St THAT'S IT!! sure they're there to enforce the fare and stuff but they should be there in case there is an attempt to harm a B/O and passengers throughout the whole trip cause stuff is going nuts lately

[arimaas]

Thank you! They sure be quick to say some stupid shyt to me but yet don't say nothing to the smokers on the platform at ACBT. I have no respect for NJTPD; NONE WHAT SO EVER. What makes one think they going to fight crime. Hell when shyt does happen they call the state or local police anyways. Matter of fact they spend more time pulling cars over outside ACBT. You can say all you want, I'm assuming you were a cop so which is why you'd stick up for them. until you see what I see EVERYDAY I wouldnt talk.

 

I am too new on the boards to start a "fight" with you over the forums, because I will already know I will "lose", considering I have read plenty posts and see how this goes. However, I will say, if you read my post, #1 you will know what I do for a living. I don't hide that fact. #2, I might take you and your opinions more seriously, if you didn't write stuff like "they sure be quick". I would love to have an educated debate with you over NJTPD and what they do and don't do, and would even gladly listen to what you had to say. Feel free to even tell me what you see everyday so that I can learn why you don't like them, or have any respect for them.

 

I am sorry if you received a summons that you feel you didn't deserve. And before you tell me not to talk, why don't you ask me if I have any first hand knowledge about NJTPD? If you'd like to have an educated debate, I am more than happy to. But please don't tell me not to talk. I believe this is an open forum.

[553 Bridgeton]

Lol. Never recieved a summons from them.

[qjtransitmaster]

Thank you! They sure be quick to say some stupid shyt to me but yet don't say nothing to the smokers on the platform at ACBT. I have no respect for NJTPD; NONE WHAT SO EVER. What makes one think they going to fight crime. Hell when shyt does happen they call the state or local police anyways. Matter of fact they spend more time pulling cars over outside ACBT. You can say all you want, I'm assuming you were a cop so which is why you'd stick up for them. until you see what I see EVERYDAY I wouldnt talk.

I would love to see someone literally kick some of those pathetic smokers that would be hilarious. They are so ****** PATHETIC THEY NEED TO SMOKE IN A BUS TERMINAL WORTHLESS TRASH!!!!!!!!! I start off polite however most of em stop after being polite however when there are exceptions SCOLD AND HUMILIATE EM AS BEST AS YA CAN. Yes I hate smoking that much if I was a cop and saw ppl smoking on the subway I'd give em summons without warning and arrest their ass. I'd humiliate em badly for laughs. I'd go to areas known for double parking then go on a ticketing spree fines all around bitches don't like it don't do the crime if ya can't pay the fine!!!!!!!!!!!

[BZGuy]

All I know is I lost total respect for the NJTPD after what happened to that NJT engineer up in Dover. They did nothing to protect that man nor did they go after the cops that roughed him up.

 

I also have zero respect for the PAPD either. They go after some bus/railfanner with a camera but fail to notice a bus in the PABT running for 5 hours with a dying driver.

[DaTransitMan4608]

All I know is I lost total respect for the NJTPD after what happened to that NJT engineer up in Dover. They did nothing to protect that man nor did they go after the cops that roughed him up.

 

I also have zero respect for the PAPD either. They go after some bus/railfanner with a camera but fail to notice a bus in the PABT running for 5 hours with a dying driver.

 

 

What happened up in Dover?

[553 Bridgeton]

Thank you bz! It's sad on all parts. I see njtpd first hand and papd all the time, and it's nothing good coming from them. I don't have time for those idiots to play games with me. Every time they come on my bus asking questions I ignore them until they figure it out.