Crime & Safety
RFH Grad is Identified as Woman Hit by Train in Matawan
Witnesses reported seeing the woman climb under the gates as the train approached, officials said.
The woman who was struck and killed by a train near the Aberdeen-Matawan Train Station has been identified as a Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School graduate — Nikki Dowd, 40, who lived in Little Silver.
Dowd's obituary describes her as a "giant spirit in a little body" who was hailed as a talented athlete.
According to New Jersey Transit spokesperson John Durso, Dowd was hit near the pedestrian crossing on Atlantic Avenue at about 6:10 p.m. on Aug. 4 by a train bound for Long Branch.
Witnesses of the accident reported seeing a woman go under the gates guarding the pedestrian crossing as the train approached.
"The trespasser illegally entered the tracks by going under the crossing gates," Durso said. "The engineer placed the train into emergency but was unable to stop in time."
The North Jersey Coast Line was closed in both directions for about an hour and fifteen minutes following the accident, according to Durso.
Just four days prior, a 57-year-old man was fatally struck by a train bound for New York City near the Aberdeen-Matawan Station.
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