Dramatic rescue on train tracks as injured man found atop double-decker train

MORRISVILLE, Pa. - A double-decker N.J. Transit train pulled into the Morrisville Yard Monday morning and a severely injured man jumped on top of the train.

Due to the lines above the train, Falls Township Police had to create different options in order to help the man to safety.

What we know:

Falls Township Police Sergeant Raymond Fanelli says a double-decker pulled into the Morrisville Yard Monday morning and a man in his thirties jumped on top of the train. Police could see the man was bleeding heavily from a severe leg injury in the freezing temperatures.

"He was in and out of consciousness when he was talking to us," Sgt. Fanelli described the scene.

The backstory:

Sergeant Fanelli said despite an officer’s drive to help, officers in this situation could not easily, due to the lines above the train. He was the lead in the unified command and called on specially trained officers to play key roles in the rescue.

Officer Francisco Olemda III is a negotiator on the crisis intervention team and tasked with being the one voice building rapport with the man.

Officer Brian Fisher, an emergency medical technician, provided support and direction to keep the man’s condition in check.

What they're saying:

"You can’t hear it, you can’t taste it and you never know if you’re too close to it until it’s too late," Sgt. Fanelli described the electrical lines. "Electricity doesn’t give you any warning once the lines are actually - even turned off they still maintain some type of charge inside of them."

Officer Olmeda III described speaking with the man, "Hey sir, you’re not going to be in any trouble. You’re not going to be in any trouble with Falls Township, you’re not going to be in any trouble with NJ Transit. Our ultimate goal is to get you help and I can see you’re injured."

"We were lucky he was wearing a pair of white pants, so we could see he was bleeding heavily and the blood was showing through the pants," Officer Fisher said. "We’re seeing the blood loss that he’s dealing with so we decide to toss tourniquets to him. Knowing we can’t get to him, we become as creative as possible in trying to solve this problem."

Big picture view:

Finally, N.J. Transit electrical experts arrived to ground the lines and the man was lifted down to safety. Many in the community have been calling the officers’ actions on the track heroic, but they say they were simply doing their job.

Officer Olmeda III remarked on the conversation with the man, "I broke it down step by step, ‘I’m coming up. There’s going to be an N.J. Transit officer coming up with the medic and we’re going to assist in getting you down from there just as we’ve been talking the entire time during the incident’ and he was very appreciative of that."

"That’s the one thing about police work, you never know what the next call is going to be and we always are trying to learn from that call. ‘Hey, how can we improve from what happened last time?’" Sgt. Fanellli added.

And, Officer Fisher said, "The biggest issue that we dealt with was getting to him as quickly as possible. It’s so frustrating for all of us, so it makes all of us thinkers and problem solvers."

What you can do:

If you or someone you know needs help, please call the National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. You can get connected by dialing 988. You can also text 988.