I had the great pleasure of watching a pair of drug deals take place during my short bus ride on NJTransit from New Jersey Penn Station to Newark Airport. Just another ride to the airport…
The Drug Bus To Newark Airport
On my way back from Washington, DC I had to run an errand in Manhattan. Since I was near the World Trade Center, rather than take NJTransit from New York Penn to Newark Airport, I took PATH to Newark Penn and then boarded a bus to Newark Airport. It was the first time I’ve ever used PATH.
After navigating through the station at Newark Penn, I found the bus depot where my bus to Newark would depart. There was a lady and her daughter traveling on Spirit Airlines (I saw their boarding passes) with luggage about as large as they were…huge suitcases that they could not even lift on the bus. I helped them lift one up inside and was shocked at how heavy it was. Were they bringing rocks along? I can only imagine what a field day they would have with Spirit Airlines at check-in.
I took a seat in the very back of the bus and a couple young guys took a seat in front of me. As we pulled out of the station, one pulled out a black bag and a scale from his backpack. Oh yeah. He proceeded to pull out what appeared to be marijuana (recreational pot is still illegal in New Jersey), took some out, put it on a scale, then handed it to the guy next to him along with some paper to roll it. Cash exchanged hands, consummating the deal.
We came to our first stop on Broad Street and a guy in a FedEx uniform boarded, came to the back of the bus and sat down next to the guys. Yep, you guessed it.
Everyone got off at Terminal A at EWR. Not sure what they were going to do at the airport without bags, but perhaps visiting clients?
CONCLUSION
From Lower Manhattan the PATH/bus combo was much easier and cheaper than returning to New York Penn and quicker than taking Uber. I’d do it again. But that bus ride to Newark Airport…
@ Matthew — What do the ladies with the suitcases have to do with the drug dealing?
That was the “other adventures” onboard from the title. I just could not believe they would lug 100-pound bags on the bus.
Especially on Spirit airline.
I don’t understand why any of this is worthy of a news article. A lot of it is pompous and judgemental, especially the part about the woman and her daughter traveling with luggage. Congrats on witnessing your first drug deal though. A marijuana sale on a public bus is hardly worth this much attention. I’d rather not see this type of article on my news feed.
It wasn’t my first, Joanna. That’s for sure.
Lol good one!! I do question the accuracy of his scale on a moving bus lol.
Oh Joanna is this where u buy your pot gurl? U upset people may find out? Sadly if I brought a beer on the bus I’d probably be removed and ticketed.
I understand taking PATH to Newark Penn but why wouldn’t you take NJT train from there to EWR? Bus…?
Bus is faster and cheaper. I loathe that air train from the station to the terminal that travels more slowly than I walk.
Not to mention if/when it breaks down, you are literally stuck for an hour or two.
It happened to me quite a few times unfortunately.
Plus the horribly tiny compartments that make luggage impossible.
Servicing clients takes on a whole new meaning…
You do realize you were sitting in his seat, right? You always want the last row if you’re cutting, weighing, and bagging on the bus.
Oops.
Lol
Next time, just take PATH to the first Jersey stop and request an Uber/Lyft from there. Runs $10 for shared and $20 for solo vs $50-70 in Manhattan . That’s always been the fastest way for me near WTC to Newark Airport
+1. Although when I lived near the WTC I’d ride the PATH to Newark Penn and grab a shared Lyft from there. About $5. If you get off at Exchange Place there can be a lot of traffic, especially at rush hour.
Thanks for sharing that shows how much security they have and why they allowed this . I know this can happen anywhere but in a city bust making business really the driver should be aware if hes not part of this . Again ppl support each other in this kind of business.
The bus is most definitely not faster. While we all hate the sad little monorail at EWR, you’ll complete the one stop from Penn to EWR before the bus even departs. NJT trains run frequently at most times. It should not take more than 15 minutes from stepping off Path to arriving at the monorail. The monorail is unreliable but so is the bus. Seriously, times have changed. 45 minutes on a random street in Newark if the bus breaks down with suitcases that scream “take me” is no joke. It is a great adventure for suburbanites, until things go sideways. Pay the $5.50 at EWR.
Years ago in Las Vegas out on the sidewalk, I was riding the outdoor escalator and looked down and could see one guy quickly handing something to another guy and running off. Some kind of drug/money handoff.
Is there any chance you could add to the DC article? Things like safety walking that time of the night? Obviously you know the area so probably know where to go/not to go and the risks but for others they may not. I grew up closer to Baltimore and have visited DC a lot, especially as a kid on field trips but never at night.
Wonderful photos in that article.
Rich, I can do that, but I felt totally safe. Granted, I’m a young male who is not afraid to defend himself if attacked. But the homeless people do not hang out around the monuments and even though I was literally alone and could have been mugged or killed…well, if it was my time, it was time. There wasn’t a police presence or a lot of cameras. Quite the contrary, I saw very few. But I’ve always felt comfortable in most parts of DC. On the way back, one guy near Union Station called out to me across the street asking for money, but I ignored him and he did not start cursing me out (like they do in San Francisco).
Perhaps I’m the wrong person to ask, though. I also walked through the streets of Iraq alone at night with my baggage…
That Iraq walk should have its own post.
Yeah where is that story?
https://liveandletsfly.com/exploring-erbil-kurdistan/
So this article is basically just dry snitching and some lady with heavy bags.
Pot is legal in CA and I don’t really have a problem with it. I found the story amusing. If I wanted to snitch I would have photographed their faces.
I’ve seen people take luggage like that as carry-on and then expect help from someone else to put it in the overhead bins. Not my problem if you can’t lift if yourself.
Great story! Let me fill in the details. I took the New Jersey Transit 62 bus from Newark Penn Station (covered bus lanes are adjacent to the station) to EWR for $1.60 (exact change and paper money). That is cheaper than taking the $10.75 New Jersey Transit train, which is cheaper than taking Amtrak. The high fare is due to the AirTrain fee and also that the base train fare is higher than bus.
PATH trains look like subway cars. They accept Metro cards that are used in New York.
I took that bus in early March unaware of the Covid-19 risk. That bus ride was before the last flight that I’ve taken. 🙁 I didn’t start mask wearing until mid March. I try to sit in the front or middle of buses but don’t know if it is safer there.
I only took the 62 bus once. My rule may be no good but it is to take the train if it is dark outside and the 62 bus only during the daytime.
Despite having some elite status in some hotels and airlines, when in New York, I often take the cheapest route to/from the airport.
LGA – since it is close, I often don’t try to save money. However, twice I took the subway to Jackson Heights/Roosevelt Ave. then the non-stop bus. Total cost $2.75
JFK – E train to Kew Gardens/Union Turnpike then Q10 limited or Q10 limited then free AirTrain at Lefforts Blvd. parking lot. Total cost $2.75
EWR – cheapest is New Jersey Transit bus 62 ($1.60) + PATH $2.75. Total $4.35 + subway within NY if the WTC/Wall Street is not your destination.
Derek, you are correct. At $1.60 versus $10.75, I figured I’d rather enjoy two cappuccinos.
I’m sorry but the only sort of person that would enjoy reading this article is someone who lives in an insulated world of upper class white privilege.
Commerce is the cornerstone of a capitalist system. You should applaud their efforts, although doing so in person may not have been the best idea.
did he collect the NJ Sales tax on the transaction, better yet, did he remit it to the state?
Offer acceptance consideration!
I my friend live in Newark and i can tell the that u said u had no idea what the pl without any suitcases would b doing at the airport..maybe working there? Also i can say i enjoyed your article..
Agree, they could have been TSA or other agents, but they were not in uniform.
Cmon Matt you know all the bad boys sit in the back of the bus! 🙂
I did this reverse trip last year. Got on the NJ transit bus at 7am on friday morning from EWR after the UA777 red eye from LAX. Took about an hour to get to Newark Penn station, just in time for rush hour on the PATH.
I love public transit and I miss it very much.
I take that option every 2 weeks when I fly. I live by wtc so I do path then bus 62, with the right schedule timing I can get from my apartment to the Polaris lounge (back when it was open) in 1h10min. Total cost is just $4.10 one-way (path bulk fare $2.50 + njbus app $1.60). I have no complaints with this option for what it costs compared to the njtrain or Uber. I’ve only encountered 1 bus breakdown and maybe 2-3 late buses the last few years that resulted in me opting for an Uber from Newark, which costs around $10.
Most passengers getting off at Terminal A are airport employees, there are various transfers there to their airport work locations.
I’m glad you tried that option and kept it factual.
Is that a photo of the Oculus in the afternoon? If so, it looks almost dead, not crowded. Near ghost town is the sign of the times with Covid 19.
Another PATH + 62 user here, it’s great when everything lines up. I’ve also taken the shuttle bus that runs EWR to NY PENN, it took 2 hours in the late afternoon ~3PM but that’s because we (about 40 people) waited 30 minutes for a shuttle at EWR T2.
If the PATH extension to EWR ever happens it should take 36-45min to WTC.