‘I just wanted to get the hell out’ — Port Authority explosion

NEW YORK —A Monmouth County woman arriving at the Port Authority on Monday said she heard screaming and police ordering everyone out in the moments after a pipe bomb explosion.

Sue Kapuscinski from Marlboro told New Jersey 101.5 she arrived around 7:15 a.m. on a subway under the bus terminal and noticed a commotion. She didn't think anything of it until an announcement was made that no trains were stopping at the Port Authority and everyone needed to leave immediately.

"The cops just kept yelling, 'Get out now. Keep moving people,' so we filed out of there. People were trying to film as we were trying to leave. For me I just wanted to get the hell out from underground and get outside and walk away," Kapuscinski said.

She saw 25 to 30 police officers walking down the passageway directing commuters to staircases to exit the station.

Kapuscinski said there's always a buzz of activity at the terminal in Times Square, but "as soon as you see cops walking down stairs all of a sudden you're like 'OK, something real is going on. This isn't just a subway breakdown someplace."

She didn't see any chaos and stampeding for the exits.

"I actually was surprised that people weren't moving a little quicker. I could certainly sense from the cops there was something going on in the other direction and we just have to keep moving," she said.

New Jersey was stepping up its security following the pipe bomb explosion at the Port Authority bus terminal on Monday.

"Every law enforcement asset in New Jersey is coordinating with our federal and New York partners regarding this incident. I have been fully briefed by my Homeland Security Advisor and have ordered additional security at our mass transit hubs. We will keep the public informed as the situation warrants. I urge all New Jerseyans to be alert and that if they see something unusual, to report it to law enforcement immediately," Gov. Chris Christie said in a statement.

Were you at or near the Port Authority bus terminal? Contact reporter Dan Alexander at Dan.Alexander@townsquaremedia.com or via Twitter @DanAlexanderNJ.

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