The Newark Police Department (NPD) has announced that it has stepped up enforcement of trespassing in the area of the New Street Cemetery at 12 New St. and the adjacent CSX railroad tracks. Police learned that individuals have been regularly using the cemetery and the railroad tracks as a shortcut to get from East Cleveland Avenue to New Street and back. 

Kevin Feeney, deputy chief of Newark Police, said, “The railroad tracks pose a significant danger to those crossing at this location, and pedestrians are reminded to only use sanctioned crossings for their own safety.”

Newark officers discovered that people had repeatedly damaged a wall separating the cemetery from the railroad tracks and trash was being deposited on gravesites at the cemetery.  NPD is particularly concerned with the danger posed to pedestrians who are crossing the railroad tracks at un-signalized/non-sanctioned crossings.

Between Aug. 24 and 27, NPD made 32 trespassing and eight underage alcohol consumption arrests in this area, using a combination of vehicle/foot/bicycle patrol and surveillance cameras to locate offenders. NPD plans on continuing to aggressively enforce trespassing, disorderly conduct and alcohol violations in the area of the cemetery and the CSX railroad tracks. 

Train safety

Here are some important reminders about train safety:

•  Never cross the tracks when the crossing gates are down. 

• Use only authorized railroad crossings. 

• The property on either side of the railroad tracks is off limits to joggers, walkers, bicyclists and others; trespassing is illegal and subject to fine.

• Trains can't stop quickly. A freight train with 150 cars traveling at 60 miles per hour will require 1.5 miles or more to complete an emergency stop.

• Although trains are huge machines, environmental conditions can muffle train noises.

• Those who walk or ride near the tracks can become targets of flying debris stirred up by trains.

• In most cases, trains don't run on a fixed timetable, so you cannot depend on a train coming and going at the same time each day.

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