New York: 60 passengers flee train through windows after threat

The 7:12 am train from New Canaan, Connecticut, was approaching track 110 when a female passenger allegedly told others that it would be their “last day on Earth.” According to authorities cited by several New York media outlets, another individual then pulled the emergency alarm, halting the train just before it reached the platform.

Tension escalated when a passenger shouted that there was a weapon after seeing the woman reach into her bag. Several dozen people opened at least two emergency windows and walked along the tracks to the platform. They had not been ordered to evacuate, network officials clarified.

Metro-North cut power to the third rail and temporarily suspended service on the lower level of Grand Central. Officers from the Metropolitan Transportation Authority escorted the passengers who had exited the train. The approximately 650 passengers who remained on board were able to disembark once power was restored.

The passenger, identified by authorities as Hannah Jane Santero, 33, was taken into custody and transported to Bellevue Hospital for a psychological evaluation. She faces charges of making a terroristic threat, a felony, and making a mass damage threat, a misdemeanor. These charges do not constitute a finding of guilt.

No weapon was found, and no injuries were reported. However, four individuals were evaluated due to stress caused by the incident. Service resumed in the morning, according to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.