Escalator malfunction injures 5 at NJ station

JERSEY CITY, N.J. -- Screams and panic engulfed a commuter rail station yesterday morning when an ascending escalator changed direction and started to head back down, causing some people to jump off mid-ride.

A spokesman for the Port Authority, which operates the station, said five people were injured when the escalator malfunctioned around 9 a.m. at the Exchange Place PATH station. None of the injuries was considered life-threatening. They ranged from back and neck pain to scrapes, bumps and bruises.

Nick Lukish, 33, of Brooklyn, said he was midway up the escalator when the moving staircase started going down. "There was a stampede at the base of the escalator," he said. "People started to panic and yell and scream, and I saw some people jump over to the down side of the escalator, so I jumped."

Lukish, who works in information technology at a bank in Jersey City, said it wasn't until he got to work that he noticed he had cuts and bruises on his shins from the jump.

A YouTube video showed people jumping onto the divider between the up and down escalators as others shouted in alarm or tried to keep walking up.

Officials were investigating what caused the malfunction, "including whether superstorm Sandy-related effects played a role." The station was severely damaged in that storm. -- AP