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Officials say six people were killed and at least 12 people were injured when a commuter train struck a vehicle on the tracks north of New York City.

Metro-North Railroad spokesman Aaron Donovan says the northbound train struck a Jeep Cherokee at a railroad crossing in Valhalla on Tuesday evening.

Donovan says the fatalities consisted of the vehicle’s female driver and five people aboard the train.

Donovan says the vehicles and the front of the train caught fire.

Sources confirm to YWN that at least one Frum person was on the train at the time. He is Boruch Hashem uninjured, and evacuated through an emergency exit. He was travelling to Mount Kisco at the time. Rockland Chaveirim responded to the scene to assist him.

The rail passengers were moved to the rear of the train, which had left Grand Central Terminal about 45 minutes earlier.

Service on Metro-North’s Harlem Line has been suspended between Pleasantville and North White Plains.

Metro-North is the nation’s second-busiest railroad, after the Long Island Rail Road. It was formed in 1983 and serves about 280,000 riders a day in New York and Connecticut.

UPDATED REPORT 8:25PM EST: 

A commuter train has struck two vehicles on the tracks north of New York City, causing a fire and injuring several people.

Metro-North Railroad spokesman Aaron Donovan says the northbound train struck the vehicles at a railroad crossing in Valhalla on Tuesday evening.

Donovan says the vehicles and the front car of the train caught fire. He said the extant of the injuries were not immediately known.

The rail passengers were moved to the rear of the train, which had left Grand Central Terminal about 45 minutes earlier.

Smoke was seen pouring out of the scorched rail car, its windows blackened.

Stacey Eisner, a passenger in the rear of the train, told NBC News that she felt the train “jerk” and then a conductor walked through the train explaining what had happened. She said her car was evacuated about 10 minutes later using ladders to get people out.

Service on Metro-North’s Harlem Line has been suspended between Pleasantville and North White Plains.

Metro-North is the nation’s second-busiest railroad, after the Long Island Rail Road. It was formed in 1983 and serves about 280,000 riders a day in New York and Connecticut.

FIRST REPORT 7:25PM EST:

At least 12 people were injured after a Metro-North train struck a car near the Commerce Street crossing. The crash happened around 6:30PM.

Eyewitnesses report that the train went up in flames, with passengers scrambling through emergency exits.

Dozens of emergency personnel are on the scene, and a “mass-casualty” incident has been declared.

It is unknown how serious the injured are, or if there are any casualties.

The car was crossing at Commerce Street when it was struck by train No. 659, Metropolitan Transportation Authority spokeswoman Marjorie Anders told WCBS 880.

Video showed flames and billows of black smoke at the scene.

Service has been shut down on the Harlem Line between North White Plains and Pleasantville. Other lines were unaffected.

UPDATE: Sources confirm to YWN that at least one Frum person was on the train at the time. He is Boruch Hashem uninjured, and evacuated through an emergency exit. He was travelling to Mount Kisco at the time. Rockland Chaveirim are enroute to the scene to pick him up.

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