A PATH Train Erupts in Flames with Commuters on Board

More than a dozen passengers have been treated for smoke inhalation; the cause of the fire remains unknown and under investigation by the NTSB.

| 08 Aug 2025 | 01:38

A fire broke out under a PATH train heading eastbound to Manhattan in the early morning of Monday, August 4. The incident comes after a week of severe subway delays and outages due to extreme summer heat.

The fire erupted at Newport station around 6:20 a.m. and adjoining rail cars quickly filled with smoke.

In videos circulating social media, passengers can be seen panicking while they wait for the doors to open onto the platform. People are heard shouting things like, “move, move, move,” and “open the door!” The videos also show flames engulfing a train car from the bottom up as passengers frantically escape.

According to Port Authority officials, 13 people were treated at the scene for smoke inhalation, nine of whom were transported to a nearby hospital for further evaluation.

The fire caused even more train suspensions, this time between Hoboken and World Trade Center and 33rd Street, as well as between Journal Square in Jersey City and the 33rd Street stations. The PATH conducts an average of around 165,000 passenger trips each day to cross the Hudson into Manhattan.

According to the New York Daily News, NJ Transit was cross-honoring PATH tickets at Hoboken, Newark and NY Penn stations until noon. The New York Waterways were reportedly doing the same for Hoboken, Battery Park City and Midtown.

PATH service was restored later that day and the cause of the fire is under investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board.