West Haven Athlete Who Stopped Breakaway Amtrak Cars Honored

A quick-thinking college athlete from West Haven, Connecticut has been honored for stopping an Amtrak train that had two passenger cars detach after leaving a station in the Albany, New York area last month. 

Train 68, also known as the Adirondack, was heading from Montreal to Manhattan on Thanksgiving eve when the train experienced what Amtrak called a "mechanical issue" and had two cars detach in transit. 

West Haven resident Reuben Clarke, a freshman at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and an offensive lineman, is credited with pulling the emergency brake and stopping the cars. 

Patrick Madden, the mayor of Troy, New York, visited Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute on Thursday to thank Clarke for his actions. The Times Union of Albany reports Madden was also on campus to congratulate the entire RPI football team for its 10-2 season. 

Amtrak officials said the rail service is investigating the cause of the separation.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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