NEWARK (1010 WINS/WCBS 880) – He had commuters sighing, "What a bunch of bull!"
Ricardo, the bull, escaped from a slaughterhouse and took to the tracks at Newark Penn Station, snarling NJ Transit trains between Newark and Penn Station New York Thursday morning before he was captured and sent to an animal sanctuary.
The Skyland Animal Sanctuary named the bull, Ricardo, after one of the officers who helped get the bull to safety.
Reports of Ricardo first came in around 10:30 a.m. Videos show the young longhorn right on the tracks at Newark Penn--even charging down the railbed at one point--as stunned commuters looked on from the platforms.
"I thought I'd seen everything, but that's a new one," a longtime NJ Transit commuter said.
"Good morning, travelers," a station announcer could be heard saying, "Due to an obstruction on the tracks all trains are subject to delays."
Rail delays reached 45 minutes at the height of the rodeo, but service was operating at or close to schedule by 12:30 p.m.
The wild incident even caught the attention of Gov. Phil Murphy, who reposted video and wrote, "I’ve always been bullish on Jersey’s future, but this is just a step too far folks."
The bull eventually roamed away from the station and was found around 10:45 a.m. behind a building near Newark Liberty International Airport--more than two miles away, officials said. He was corralled to a fenced-in lot at Frelinghuysen Avenue and Victoria Street, then tranquilized and loaded onto a livestock trailer as a news chopper flew overhead.
He escaped from a local slaughterhouse in Newark, sources told 1010 WINS, but he'll live out the rest of his life at a local animal sanctuary, according to Newark officials. Animal advocates were navigating the transfer.
Mike Stura, the founder of Skylands Animal Sanctuary & Rescue in rural Sussex County, wrote on Facebook that he was "well on my way" to the scene.
No injuries were reported, according to Newark police.
NJ Transit rail tickets and passes were being cross-honored by PATH and Hoboken, Newark Penn and 33rd Street New York.