My commute home today seemed like just a regular ride on the J train. I was reading my book "Vietnam A History" by Stanley Krasnow (I am a total history geek). I had already checked out any fine ladies on the train and settled in to just enjoy my reading. As the train started to pull into the Woodhaven Station, it stopped suddenly. I thought to myself, "This is not good". First of all no one pulled the emergency brake or the stop would have been even more abrupt. Second, the train was only partially in the station. My instinct lead me to believe that someone took a dive in front of the train.
After sitting for a about a minute, the conductor announced that the train had stopped because of a sick passenger. If this is the case why didn't the train pull all the way into the station? Another minute goes by and he announces that the train is out of service and the passengers will have to exit the train. His voice just doesn't sound right. Another 30 seconds pass by and we can hear the train operator speaking with the dispatcher advising him that only four cars have pulled into the station. He then instructs the riders to walk through the train to the conductors car to exit. We all file through the single open door. By now it's obvious to me that my assumption was correct. As I leave the train, the conductor says that there is someone under the train. Several passenger get upset and begin asking, "How do we get home?" "What do we do now?" The conductor muttered half out loud and half to himself, "People are getting angry at me, I had nothing to do with it. It's not my fault if someone jumps in front of the train."
The Woodhaven station on the J line is elevated. I figured there is no point in waiting on the platform because this rescue/recovery (I'm leaning toward recovery/cleanup) could take a while. I go down to the street. A large crowd has gathered and police and emergency vehicles are arriving at the scene. In the middle of the street I see maybe three red baseball size clumps of stuff just lying there. I guess they are chunks of flesh. There are cops looking up at the tracks and pointing. I have to go to the other side of the street to see what they are looking at because other officers are putting up the crime scene tape. When I get to the other side I look up and dangling from the underside of the platform under the train are red strips of who knows what. I think about taking out my camera and snapping a picture but decide against it. I've seen enough. Time to leave the scene and go home.
After walking a few blocks I realize that most people are completely unaware of what happened less than a quarter mile away. A life possibly lost. Another anonymous death in NYC. I'm betting it doesn't even make the evening news.
This sign says that this subway entrance will be closed from 05/21/09 to 06/21/09. This picture was taken on 06/30/09 and the entrance is still closed. There has been no work done here since at least Friday June 26th. As far as I know the MTA was only repairing the stairs. I'm no expert but there didn't seem to be anything wrong with the stairs in the first place. Why does it take more than a month to fix the stairs? Why have they stopped working? Did they find something? Maybe Jimmy Hoffa or a portal to hell? Perhaps the father of Michael Jackson's children?
