Train passenger pulls emergency stop to retrieve dropped cell phone

New Jersey Transit officials say a passenger who dropped his cellphone pulled the emergency stop on a train and then jumped on to the tracks to retrieve it.

Eric Jones, of Harlem, New York, is charged with defiant trespass and interfering with transportation.

Jones was riding on a North Jersey Coast Line train when he accidentally dropped his phone onto the tracks while he was between cars.

The train was stopped around 8:20 a.m. Monday near the Secaucus Junction. The stoppage initially caused travel delays of up to 15 minutes on the North Jersey Coast, Northeast Corridor, Raritan Valley and Midtown Direct lines.

NJ Transit issued a statement criticizing Jones’ “reckless behavior,” noting that he risked injury to himself and “hundreds of others” aboard the train.

A telephone number for Jones could not be located Monday afternoon.