Loose Bull In New Jersey Train Station Surprises Witnesses, Delays Commutes

Folks planning to ride from Newark Penn Station into New York City got a surprise this morning when a loose bull showed up on the tracks. His presence caused 45-minute delays as police attempted to corral the large bovine without anyone getting hurt, NBC New York reports.

After running through Penn Station, the bull headed back toward the airport before Newark and Port Authority police officers were able to corral it inside a fenced-in lot. Where the bull came from and how it got loose are still unknown. He's lucky he didn't get hit by a train while playing on the tracks like that. The bull was captured safely and should be just fine, though, as a local animal sanctuary will be taking him in.

Here's video of the bull on the loose this morning – it went onto the tracks at Newark Penn. I'm told they caught it. It apparently escaped near the airport – ran toward Penn – then ran back toward airport (Elizabeth) and was caught. pic.twitter.com/G0DzbTJH6j

— Adam Harding (@HardingReports) December 14, 2023

As NBC New York reports, this isn't the first time a bull has gotten loose in the greater New York City area. Back in 2021, a bull that didn't like the idea of becoming someone's steak dinner escaped in Long Island and managed to evade authorities for two months before finally being caught. The 1,500-pound bull ended up being nicknamed Barney by users on social media as he continued to dodge attempts to capture him.

"We've tried luring him with a cow, with horses," Strong Island Animal Rescue's Frankie Floridia told Newsday at the time. "I'm out here with a [tranquilizer gun], looking for him, and I'm thinking, 'I'm hunting cows in an Indiana Jones movie.' It's just frustrating. The longer it goes, you wonder what happens."

BREAKING: After 2 months on the run ... Barney the bull has been captured at an old duck farm in Moriches, NY #nbc4ny pic.twitter.com/YEWz2gT7k9

— Steven Bognar (@Bogs4NY) September 23, 2021

Back in 2017 another bull got loose, this time in Brooklyn, and headed into Prospect Park to wander the soccer fields. Sadly, he couldn't convince anyone to join a pick-up game and ended up tranquilized after other attempts to capture him failed. While the two other bulls never injured anyone in their escapes, this one ended up bumping into a stroller hard enough that the two-year-old inside was injured and taken to the hospital to be treated for a minor injury. Skylands Animal Sanctuary and Rescue took him in and named him Shankar.