This woman gave hugs to distressed people after Hoboken train crash

ByEyewitness News WABC logo
Thursday, September 29, 2016
Woman says she helped by giving hugs
A witness to the crash scene says she gave people hugs to help comfort them after the tragic train crash.

HOBOKEN, New Jersey (WABC) -- A woman who walked into the aftermath of the Hoboken train crash said she helped those in distress by giving them hugs.

Camille Marino, a student at Pace University, told Eyewitness News she had just gotten off her train and was walking up into the hub when she realized people were moving faster than normal -- and the scene quickly got chaotic.

"Everyone was running everywhere and I had no idea what was going on so I continued to walk towards what appears to be the scene and I saw the entire ceiling was caved in," Marino said. "The train was through the building. People were like crippling off the train."

RELATED: Witnesses describe horrific scene, say train came in at high rate of speed

And the scene got worse.

"A lot of people were injured. The first thing I saw was this older man bleeding from his hand. Walking out. People were crying. It was really stressful to see all of that," she said.

She then jumped into action.

I just saw a lot of women were crying mostly and everyone looked really stressed out on the account of what happened. My immediate reaction was to give them hugs and help them walk out by themselves and just be there for them and comfort them," Marino said. "It's what I know what I can do and could offer them."

** Click on the video player above to watch our interview with Marino **

After seeing this tragedy up close, she offered advice to others.

"Definitely to be more aware when you are doing your commute. It gets regular to you and you come through this process every day, but anything can happen any time and tell everyone you love them before you leave in the morning," Marino said.