Subway Collision, Smoke Cause Brief Panic At 59th-Lexington Avenue

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — A subway train collided with an unknown object near the 59th Street-Lexington Avenue station Monday evening, causing a loud noise and smoke that briefly sowed panic.

Just after 6 p.m., a northbound 4 train hit an unidentified metal object that was lying on the tracks at the station, according to an NYPD spokesperson.

The collision caused the station to fill with smoke, and prompted authorities to evacuate the station, the NYPD said.

The collision caused a "loud explosion," according to one Twitter user who was at the scene; others reported "a loud bang" and throngs of people running off the train and out of the station.

By 6:19 p.m., the incident had been closed with no injuries reported, an FDNY spokesperson said.

The incident affected service along the 4-5-6 lines, however, which were running with delays by around 6:45 p.m., the MTA said in a tweet.

The incident no doubt triggered memories of last month's Sunset Park subway shooting, which left 29 people wounded amid a cloud of smoke unleashed by the alleged gunman, Frank James.