Norwalk Officer Saves Driver From Imminent Train Crash

A Norwalk police officer’s quick thinking prevented a possible tragedy Tuesday afternoon as he helped usher traffic out of the way of an oncoming Metro-North train.

Officer Neil Robertson had just finished investigating a crash on Route 1 around 12:30 p.m. Tuesday and traffic was bumper to bumper when the train gates lowered. Robertson saw an SUV stopped within the area of the closing gates, police said.

"I'm looking at the train that's coming and I realize there's no way this train is going to clear this intersection without hitting this car," Robertson explained.

With a train approaching, Robertson raced to the SUV and quickly directed the vehicles ahead to pull ahead, allowing the SUV to inch forward seconds before the train raced by, police said.

"The entire time, I'm yelling at the cars, the horn's blaring on the train," Robertson described. "And I think everybody knew that an accident was about to happen."

A witness reported the good deed to Chief Thomas Kulhawik in the following e-mail:

“One of your officers deserves praise as he saved a lady from being hit by a train. The woman in a blue SUV stopped on top of the tracks in front of the Cablevision building due to heavy traffic ahead. Very shortly after her halt on the tracks, the lights and bells starting going off and the gate comes down for the approaching train. Lucky for her, one of your officers saw this unfolding and quickly jumped out of his car and ran to the cars in front of the woman to have them move up. He managed to save the day with about 2 seconds to spare.”

Kulhawik is praising Robertson for his actions.

“Had Officer Robertson not been there and taken swift action, the incident would have likely ended tragically,” the chief said in a statement Thursday.

Residents are calling him a hero.

"Thank God there are people like him," said Norwalk resident Jake Russell. "It's awesome."

The near-miss was caught on camera, and the Norwalk Police Department posted the footage on its Facebook page.

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