Shipping Containers for Sale in Jersey City, NJ

Two teenage girls became stuck in an elevator traveling 90 feet down the Palisades Cliffs from the Jersey City entrance to the 9th Street NJ Transit Light Rail station Saturday night.

Within minutes, Jersey City firefighters were on the scene and using their training methods to pull the girls to safety.

Bill Bowman and Micheal Leonard were part of about a dozen Jersey City firefighters assigned to the dangerous rescue.

“I was the first person to go down on the rope system and actually physically make, patient contact with them. They were both calm and collected. And my reaction was just to keep them, you know, their minds off of everything going on,” said Leonard.

“They determined that we're going to go off on a rope. So, we bring our equipment in, we supplement, we start rigging systems,” said Bowman.

These firefighters kept everyone calm. Chief Jack Johnson credits their daily training.

“To the people that are in the elevator or to any call, we go on, it's the worst day of our life. So, we're here to serve them for the worst days of their life,” said Chief Johnson.

The girls’ elevator became stuck only about 20 feet from the bottom of the Hoboken side platform. But because the escape hatch is on the ceiling of the cab, the only way out was back the way they came.

“There's a lot of equipment involved, a lot of bags, a lot of carabiners and pulleys and ropes and all kinds of equipment,” said Bowman.

Problems had been reported before with this elevator shaft, which is now out of service. An NJ Transit crew and elevator repair company were seen outside of the Jersey City entrance on Wednesday.

The rescue took several hours, and no one was hurt, despite the claustrophobic stall, the 60-foot hoist and the nerves of such an unexpected, and primal-fear inducing moment.

“One girl was telling me that she had gone rock climbing before, and this was pretty similar situation there,” added Bowman.

News 12 has reached out to NJ Transit for further comment on what led to the elevator failure at the light rail station.

Two teen girls were rescued from a stuck elevator at NJ Transit's Ninth Street/Congress Street light rail station over the weekend.

It happened Saturday at 6:50 p.m. The girls, 15, were trapped in the elevator shaft for two hours after it came to a halt in the shaft about 20 feet off the ground.

Because the elevator was in the middle of the shaft, Jersey City firefighters had to rescue them from above, using high-angle rescue techniques. They rappelled 60 feet down the elevator shaft, attached harnesses to the trapped teens, and brought them up.

There were no injuries.

The elevator takes commuters from the station platform in Hoboken up the Palisades cliffs to Jersey City. So far, there's no word on what caused it to stop.

"Beinig stuck for two hours, that would bother me. I'm not going to lie," one Jersey City resident said.

"Makes me not want to use it anymore," Jersey City resident Maxine Stanford said.

Former FDNY Deputy Chief Jim Bullock talked about the importance of technical training.

"One reason, you never know when you're going to do it. It's used for confined space. Confined space is when there's a limited area to get out, and someone is trapped, and you have to straight down to get them," Bullock said. "It's constant training. And because it's so much training, it's usually limited to a certain group of people in the fire department."

Jersey City officials posted about the rescue on social media.

"This is what years of technical rescue training looks like in action. Jersey City firefighters are ready — day or night, rain or shine, 60 feet underground or above the skyline," they wrote.

In:

JERSEY CITY, NJ — A large fan festival at Liberty State Park for the FIFA World Cup 26 has been canceled, organizers said Thursday. Instead, Gov. Mikie Sherrill's office will provide $5 million to fund events throughout the state, officials said.

Eight of the championship soccer matches will still take place at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford from June through July.

But the FIFA Fan Festival — which was billed as "an exciting opportunity to gather to watch World Cup matches, enjoy diverse food offerings from the NYNJ region and experience entertainment and programming" — is no more.

Ticketmaster said they will offer refunds over the next few weeks to those who bought tickets, which went on sale last month.

Sherrill's office said that instead, they hope to fund smaller events, from street fairs to watch parties.

Business Impacts

The new initiative aims to "support communities across the state in creating extraordinary fan experiences throughout the World Cup — including during the tournament's historic Final — while investing in small businesses, cultural associations, and community nonprofits."

Melanie Rudin of Jersey City's Restaurant Owners Coalition said Thursday that the news was hard on local vendors who'd applied to sell at the fan festival.

But she said there are new opportunities to be involved.

"This is a hit for restaurants that responded to the call for applications to be vendors from FIFA World Cup 26 New York and New Jersey months ago and heard nothing," she said. "Those businesses really hoped they could be involved with what, for many, is the dream of a lifetime. There is also a feeling that Jersey City will go from being a part of this destination event to a place to sleep before heading to Manhattan or MetLife."

But, "I've also heard the hope from the restaurant community that organizations will step up to assist in building local events during the games that include opportunities for independently owned restaurants and food businesses to draw some of the attendees to stay and spend in Jersey City."

Jersey City has been named one of the top 11 up-and-coming foodie cities by Food and Wine Magazine.

Sherrill said Thursday, “New Jersey is the beating heart of the 2026 World Cup, and this initiative makes sure that every New Jerseyan — no matter where they live — can be part of this once-in-a-generation moment. From fan zones to neighborhood watch parties to street fairs, we are investing in the communities and small businesses that make New Jersey extraordinary."

On Thursday, a link to tickets for the event on Ticketmaster said, "Unfortunately, the Event Organizer has had to cancel your event. You don't need to do a thing. We'll issue a refund to the original method of payment used at time of purchase, as soon as funds are received from the Event Organizer. It should appear on your account within 14-21 days."

The FIFA New York New Jersey website still lists some fan events here: https://nynjfwc26.com/fan-festival/

New Jersey is canceling a weeks-long World Cup festival at Liberty State Park in Jersey City and is instead allotting $5 million for fan-zone type experiences throughout the state, officials said Thursday.

The FIFA 2026 World Cup tournament is taking place in the U.S., Canada and Mexico and is expected to draw unprecedented interest in New Jersey. MetLife Stadium is scheduled to host eight soccer games, including the final game on July 19.

Viewing events will range from large public gatherings to small and mid-sized community watch parties, festivals and street fairs, according to an announcement from New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill.

“New Jersey is the beating heart of the 2026 World Cup, and this initiative makes sure that every New Jerseyan — no matter where they live — can be part of this once-in-a-generation moment,” Sherrill said in a statement provided by the governor’s office.

The statement did not say why the original plan for a Liberty State Park celebration was abandoned.

Sherrill “made the right call,” said Nathaniel Styer, spokesperson for Jersey City Mayor James Solomon.

“It became increasingly clear that there was no workable, cost-effective way to manage the influx of tens of thousands of fans into Liberty State Park, while maintaining access to the members of the Jersey City community. We are very excited for the opportunities that the World Cup is bringing to Jersey City and we will be rolling out more plans for residents and fans to celebrate this historic event,” Styer said.

The statewide fan zone activities will be organized by the state Economic Development Authority in conjunction with the FIFA World Cup 26 New York New Jersey Host Committee.

“The World Cup is an unparalleled opportunity to showcase New Jersey to the world and drive real economic impact for our businesses and communities,” said Evan Weiss, CEO of the state Economic Development Authority.

“This initiative is about more than soccer — it’s about making sure that the energy and investment generated by this global event flows directly to the small businesses, cultural organizations, and neighborhood nonprofits that are the backbone of our state,” Weiss said.

Events will be announced in the coming weeks, officials said.

“The New York New Jersey Host Committee “is working in close partnership with Governor Sherrill’s administration and other leaders across New Jersey to expand fan engagement opportunities throughout the state,” the organization said in a statement.

“Building on a centralized regional approach, this expanded model will bring World Cup–related experiences directly into communities across all 21 counties, ensuring broader access and participation," the organization said.

Soccer fans who purchased tickets for the advertised Fan Fest ahead of the World Cup may be calling foul.

In a rather shocking move for tri-state soccer fans, the fan fest initially scheduled to take place at Liberty State Park in Jersey City during the 2026 World Cup, has been canceled, a source familiar with the matter tells NBC New York and sister station Telemundo 47.

Instead, the state is allocating $5million to support community initiatives for fans.

“The Jersey City venue is no longer being utilized," a spokesperson for the governor said in a statement. "Instead, Gov. Sherrill is creating a program to bring the excitement of the World Cup to communities throughout New Jersey.

The initiative, a partnership between New Jersey Economic Development Authority (NJEDA) and the FIFA World Cup 26 New York New Jersey Host Committee, will bring fan experiences to communities across the state "while investing in small businesses, cultural associations, and community nonprofits."

"New Jersey is the beating heart of the 2026 World Cup, and this initiative makes sure that every New Jerseyan — no matter where they live — can be part of this once-in-a-generation moment,” Sherrill said in a statement. “From fan zones to neighborhood watch parties to street fairs, we are investing in the communities and small businesses that make New Jersey extraordinary. The World Cup is coming to our state — and we are going to make sure it belongs to New Jerseyans first.”

According to the state, the initiative will prioritize supporting fan events that "are high-impact, beneficial to small businesses, and reflective of the rich and diverse cultures that will be represented by competing World Cup nations — many of which have deep roots in communities across New Jersey."

Initially, the plan, announced roughly a year ago, was for the fan fest at Liberty State Park to be open for all 104 games of the 2026 World Cup.

Fan fests with large video screens have been a part of each World Cup's organization since 2006.

“That is going to be the one fan fest, I believe, across the country that is going to be up and running for all games of the World Cup as opposed to just the games that are happening in our region,” Tammy Murphy, wife of of then New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy and chair of the New York/New Jersey host committee’s directors, said previously at the time the fan fest was announced.

The World Cup will be co-hosted by the U.S., Mexico and Canada. The tournament, expanded to 48 nations from 32, opens June 11 in Mexico City and the final will be July 19 at East Rutherford, New Jersey. Games will be played at 11 U.S. venues, three in Mexico and two in Canada, with all matches in the U.S. from the quarterfinals on.

Tickets already purchased for the Liberty State Park Fan Fest will be refunded, a source tells NBC New York and Telemundo 47.