so if you are stuck, the conventional wisdom is abandon your vehicle. >> reporter: ellen brody was a jewelry designer, married with three daughters. >> the whole community is devastated because she was a wonderful person. >> reporter: we now know the identities of all five men who died on the train. 69-year-old walter liedtke, a curator of european paintings at the metropolitan museum of art. 53-year-old eric vandercar who worked at a financial firm. 42-year-old joseph nadol and -- aditya tomor. and robert dirks a chemical scientist with a wife and two children. his father -- michael. >> all a father could ever want, a father and a mother. and having had him in my life for 36 years it was great absolutely great joy. >> reporter: meanwhile, the ntsb says this investigation could take months. but today they did also tell us that they are looking at the possibility and, in fact they've now determined that not only were the railroad crossing signals working properly but so was a traffic intersection light nearby. brian. >> what a tragedy. tom costello, valhalla, new york for us tonight.

meanwhile witnesses told the ntsb that seconds before the arm came down on ellen brody's car traffic was inching through the railroad intersection, the crossing. working through the bitter cold, salvage crews were able to clear and repair the tracks of the burned out metro-north train. the blackened remains taken to a nearby maintenance yard where investigators spent the day looking for clues. also today for the first time the train engineer treated for smoke inhalation told investigators his story. that he slammed on the brakes as soon as he saw an suv inching on to the tracks, but the train was traveling at 58 miles per hour and there was little he could do. >> he went in and out of the train dragging people out. the train was engulfed in fire and smoke. he went in there risking his own life until he was overcome by smoke. >> reporter: the ntsb has also interviewed the driver behind ellen brody when the crossing arm came down on her car. is there a message here for drivers all across the country who come across crossing arms and guards all the time? >> once those arms come down, th

if the suv driver 49-year-old ellen brody, was stuck in traffic beyond the flashing lights she may not have known a train was coming. >> this grade crossing is not required to have bells because there's no pedestrian walkway. >> reporter: today, ellen brody was laid to rest. also remembered today eric vandercar. meanwhile investigators again were collecting evidence in the burned out remains of the train car where five passengers died. nationwide there are 2,000 accidents at railroad crossings each year. last year 239 people died. many of the crossings date back 50 years or more. >> in a country that can put a man on the moon, we can design better grade crossings that save lives and prevent this kind of crash. >> reporter: tonight the ntsb says mrs. brody was indeed driving on a road that was not her normal route because of a car accident that sent cars detouring around it. meanwhile investigators are also looking at the cell phone records for mrs. brody and the engineer. that's standard part of any investigation. they want to make sure distraction didn't play any role. brian? >> tom c

just destruction. >> reporter: ellen brody perished in the crash.did five metro north passengers riding in the first car of the train. 12 others suffered injuries. >> it was a massive fireball yes? >> yes. >> so what saved you? >> well -- a little bit of quick thinking. one of the guys that fell on top of me burnt his hands. but he's okay. he broke the emergency latch. then i pulled the door open hopped out helped people out. people were yelling for a fire extinguisher, to call 911. a lot of yelling, a lot of screaming. you know, crying. >> reporter: there are more than 209,000 railroad crossings in the united states. in 2014 there were 2,068 incidents between cars and trains that killed 239 people. >> that's why you have crossing gates and flashing signals, the train blows its horn. all these warnings. some people just think that they can beat the train. >> reporter: while we still don't know why the suv stopped on the tracks yesterday in a similar incident one woman says she simply froze. >> when i realized that there was just no way my car was go

ellen brody, that mother of three driving the suv was among those laid to rest yesterday and during the eulogy her husband said not only was his wife in a strange and unfamiliar place but he was critical of this railroad crossing. this morning, investigators are continuing to uncover new details about just what happened when ellen brody drove her suv on to the metro north train tracks. the ntsb revealing the engineer slammed on the brakes the moment he saw her car but was unable to slow the train enough. >> he put it into emergency braking and then he saw the car advance fully onto the track. >> the train was only able to slow from 58 miles per hour to 49 before striking the suv. and new details revealing a new hero. the train's conductor who went car to car to evacuate passengers. >> emergency responders advised him to get off the train himself. he said he stayed on the train until he was assured that all the passengers through all the cars that he had walked through 8 all the way down through number 3 had been evacuated. >> the ntsb also revealing that a total of 12 sections of the hi

the the driver 49 year-old ellen brody, a mother of three, had been diverted from an accident when he stopped on the tracks and was hit by that train. the impact was so powerful it peeled away electrified third rail, setting the the suv and train on fire. it is worst accident in the the history of new york met the tremendous north serving as a reminder to obey signals and bandon your vehicle if it stalls or gets the stuck in the track. >> really you should run in the direction that train is coming from because he is running in the opposite direction that train will hit the car and propel that car towards you. >> reporter: when you are on that train where is the the most safe place to sit? experts say nothing is full proof but historically you should take an aisle seat over a window seat and generally speaking in the middle of the carries more safe then either of the end, ukee. >> nicole, thank you for that. >>> happening today the owners of the former revel casino in atlantic city are trying to keep the lights on. federal bankruptcy court judge may deciding whether the the power plant

and so did ellen brody on her suv. why she drove out onto the tracks and couldn't get away, tonight, still a mystery. >> and linsey is live on the scene tonight. back to that report. we now learned 400 feet of electrified rail pierced the inside of the train? >> reporter: that's right, david. that's a major focus of the investigation at this point. and it gives you an idea of how horrifying it must have been for those passengers on board that train. >> all right, linsey davis leading us off tonight. thank you. >>> now, to the other deadly crash, caught on tape. the passenger jet, just missing a highway and the drivers below. the plane then crashing into the water, tonight, investigators have now recovered the black boxes, and the images out of taiwan are stunning. you can hear the people in the car, witnessing it all, screaming. look at this. crashing into a river, just beside the highway. later, rescuers surrounding the wreckage searching for survivors. incredibly many people were actually able to make it out of the p

did ellen brody not hear the train approaching? it's possible she may not have.tro-north train was going 58 miles per hour but the federal railroad administration says that even a train going 50 miles per hour may be no louder than a blender or someone shouting. so once she got back inside her suv, she may not have realized the train was approaching. but what about the horn? a locomotive engineer we talked with said the train's horn is often louder than the siren on an ambulance. the ntsb said the train's engineer activated the emergency brake which then prompted the train's horn to sound. that horn sounded for four seconds. four seconds. then the train slammed into the woman's suv. perhaps she thought she had more time. a spokesman for the ntsb said the man in the car behind brody doesn't remember hearing the train horn or the bells. though he did recall seeing the flashing lights. the last thing he saw was ellen brody's suv disappear and then explode as it was pushed nearly 1,000 feet by the train. >> i guess we may never know why she didn't move or stayed with

and so did ellen brody in her suv. ve out on to the tracks and couldn't get away still a mystery. brody's husband posting on facebook a thanks for everyone who has expressed their condolences to their family and they plan to say a final good-bye to his wife on friday. linzie davis, abc news valhalla, new york. >>> investigators are equal waiting the black box from the plane in that crash. the search for 12 people continues in the river where the plane went down. it crashed after initially gaining altitude but not enough speed less than three minutes after takeoff. >> an airliner of any size is a metallic egg shell. when used as designed it is very strong. in you smack a bridge with it will come apart and do terrible damage to anyone in the back of the plane. >> among the 15 survivors is a family of three including a premature baby who was brought back to life by cpr. >>> bipartisan support is boosting aid to jordan. the u.s. had announced plans to increase aid to jordan to $1 billion. the senate armed services committee

instead of backing up the driver ellen brody, drove forward into the train. >>> and the investigationtinues into the cause of the plane crash into the river. the black boxes have been retrieved and analyzed. we are live with the new developments next. now with the xfinity tv go app, you can watch live tv anytime. it's never been easier with so many networks all in one place. get live tv whenever you want. the xfinity tv go app. now with live tv on the go. enjoy over wifi or on verizon wireless 4g lte. plus enjoy special savings when you purchase any new verizon wireless smartphone or tablet from comcast. visit comcast.com/wireless to learn more. >>> new information this morning. the crash of transasia flight 235. officials are releasing the first pieces of information from the plane's black boxes. we know there were problems with bowing both of the engines. the death toll climbed to 35 overnight. the divers are still searching the river for eight missing victims. we have started to hear from the people who lived the ordeal. >> translator: shortly after takeoff, i knew there was someth

ellen brody was driving across the tracks in new york when the gates hit the back of her car. she got out to look got back in and drove forward. but the train was traveling at 68 miles per hour just below the speed limit. it was unable to slow down and slammed right into her suv and burst into flames as you can see. 400 feet of the electrified third rail ripped from the ground piercing the floor of the first train car. patrick izzo was one of the passengers sitting up front as flames were filling the train. he managed to open the emergency exit with his burned hands so everyone could escape. >> a hero right there. >> frantic audio from the cockpit of the plane. remember this story it came crashing out of the sky yesterday. >> the pilot warning a engine flameout. at least 32 people dead another 11 still missing. the murky water is hampering their efforts. amazingly 15 people made it out alive. the incredible moment a toddler was pulled from the wreckage. with the plane's black box found we will get a better understanding of what went wrong. >> terrifying moments in texas when a

. >> reporter: among the victims, 49-year-old ellen brody was behind the wheel of the suv. the five others include 65-year-old walter liedke 60-year-old eric vandercar, robert dirks, jonah doll and aditya aditya tomar. investigateors say ellen brody may have been the only victim. >> some were able to help others who were trapped or shaken up. vinita nair spoke with one who was described as a hero. >> good morning. james wallace has been making the commute regularly for years. he was sitting in the second car tuesday when he said he felt the jerk. >> people started panicking, were starting to run back toward the back of the second car. there was a tremendous amount of billowing smoke coming through at that point. we could see shapes moving around in the smoke so we wanted very much to get in there to help people. >> wallace, a former ambulance corps member searched throughout the train calling for passengers. >> i wanted to get to a woman who was panicked. i said you have to stay calm. >> what did she say. >> sometimes you see panic. she had that in her eyes. >> reporter: it

the drive e of that vehicle was identified as 49-year-old ellen brodie. investigators say ellen had just been diverted from the scene of another accident as she drove on the track os as the wooded arms came down around her. the vehicle was hit with such force it sent the electrified suv into the third car of the train. james wallace was in the second car of the train. >> we started smelling gasoline fumes and the fire was getting a lot larger up front at the head of the car. i started thinking this is not the place we want to be. >> reporter: investigators say the fire on the train was triggered by the suv. water leeco was a curator for more than three decades at the metropolitan museum of art. eric vandercar was a bond trader. a family was preparing to identify his body. also cold was a man from connecticut. the national transportation safety board will examine the adequacy of the train's exits. passengers who survived described a quite chaotic scene. >> someone reacted quickly, broke the emergency exit window -- not window hatch, pulled the learner down

ellen brody was stuck on the tracks before being hit by a commuter train.gers. friends are struggling to understand just what happened her. >> she was not a risk taker who would put her own life at risk. she was definitely not a risk taker that would put other people's safety at risk. >> reporter: federal investigators say recordings show the train and the signal crossing were working properly before the crash and brody had more than 30 seconds to get out of the train's way. >>> maybe a new scandal involving governor chris christie. a local prosecutor says he was fired because he objected when indictments of christie supporters were dismissed. he said the justice department is now looking in to this. christie denies any involvement. the new jersey republican has been mentioned as a possible presidential candidate. >>> the latest data breach that compromised the personal information of as many as 80 million americans may be linked to china. investigators say the cyber attack on health insurer anthem is similar to other sophisticated operations by chinese hac

. >> reporter: today we are learning more about the driver of that suv. 49-year-old ellen brody, a mother of three she worked at a jewelry store at a nearby town, the eyewitness said moments before impact she appeared undisturbed and she got out and looked at it and she looked calm and was taking an awful long time and i was thinking the clock is ticking here. she looked at me and i know she did, and all i can imagine was she was trying to make it to the other side. >> she never made it across. the train was traveling at 58 miles per hour and they tried to stop the train but it was too late. >> metro north the train exploded. the front car just exploded. people are jumping out of the train. >> and that engineer that tried so desperately to keep people out, he is out of the hospital himself, credited as a hero helping others even as he himself was injured. >> thank you. >>> the insurance company anthem was hit by a massive data breach anthem insurance the parent company of blue cross blue shield was the victim of a cyber attack. it's the country's second largest health insurance company. i

ellen brody was also laid to rest today.he was behind the wheel of the mercedes that was hit by the metro north express train. >> ellen was a consummate mother and family person. she adored her daughters and her husband. she was their biggest fan and supporter. >> reporter: the rabbi spoke on behalf of ellen's grieving family, calling the mother of three a pillar of the community. >> it is absolutely terrible. >> reporter: eric's friend tells me his family is just distraught but says they're so amazed at the outpouring of support. in westchester county, "nbc10 news." >>> and for the latest on the investigation into the metro north train krashgs tune into "nbc nightly news" coming up at 6:30. >>> we're still cold on this friday evening but at least it won't be as cold as it was last night. not as cold as we go through tonight. even to start off your morning tomorrow, not as cold as it was this morning. we were in the single digits this morning. then we go through the weekend. we have a nice warm-up in store, saturday and sund

witnesses say the drivers 49-year-old ellen brodie may have been caught on the tracks in a traffic backup tuesday night. right behind her in traffic rick hope who saw brodie get out of her car after the crossing arm came down on the suv. >> she looked at me. i gestured to come back. i backed up again further to even indicate that there's plenty of room to back up and she turned walks and gets back in the car. >> instead of backing up she pulled forward right into the path of an on coming train. in a massive fireball the train carried the suv 1,000 feet down the tracks yanking the electrified third rail out of the ground and driving it like a spike right through the floor of the first train car and part of the second. already ntsb investigators have recovered data recorders from the train and the crossing signal. >> two big questions, why was the car on the train tracks and what caused this accident. >> ellen brodie was married with three daughter and worked at a nearby jewelry store. >> she was the most warm person. she was kind. she was a great mom. >> her husband alan posting on faceboo

was heavy, we were backed up. >> reporter: as the driver right behind ellen brody, rick hope, watchedorrifying ordeal. first he says the gate came down and he saw her get out of her car. he describes what happened next to gannett's lohud website. >> i gestured to her to come back. she turns, walks, gets back in the car. slight hesitation. and then moves forward, and that that instant, the train came. >> reporter: officials say there was an accident that night on a nearby highway which diverted traffic to this road with the railroad crossing but >> the lights at the crossi the flashing and a few secoas designed, the crossing arms activated. >> reporter: in an interview thursday with steven small, the train's engineer, he told investigators he saw the suv drive on to the tracks and activated the brake. and sounded the horn for four seconds. but it was too late. it could not stop in time. he was later credited with > the s and just, you know, in his mind, i wish i could have saved more. >> reporter: ellen brody, the mother of three, will be laid to thing. rob snn >> all right, linsey, th

were it not for the third rail that pierced that train car, local investigators say ellen brody may have been the only victim. >>> right after the deadly crash, confused passengers desperately tried to get off the train. some were able to help others trapped or shashgken up. we spoke with one survivor called a hero. vinita, good morning. >> reporter: good morning. making the commute from manhattan to connecticut reg li larly several years. sitting in the second train car tuesday when he says he felt the jerk. >> people started to panic and started to run back towards the back of the second car. there was a tremendous amount of billowing smoke coming through at that point. we could see people moving shapes moving around in the smoke. we wanted very much to get in there to help people. >> reporter: wallace a former volunteer ambulance corps member searched for a way all right train while calming fellow passengers. >> i did get the attention of a woman who seemed particularly panicked, and i said you have to stape calm. >> reporter: was she seeing? >> sometimes see fear in someone's eyes an

driver of an suffer who triggered the commuter train disaster north of new york city. 49-year-old ellen brody was killed along with five rail passengers on tuesday night. the train crashed into her suv which had stopped. warning snaps and crossing gates and nearby traffic snrals were working properly. the train was going 58 miles per hour in a 60-mile an hour zone. >>> 5:05, two philadelphia police officers were charged with police brutality. the officers filed a report saying that a man lost control of his scooter and resisted arrest and attacked one of them. but his girlfriend found this surveillance video that turned the table on the entire investigation. it shows the patrol car running him down and the officers beating him with their batons. they face multiple charges. >>> it is painful, it is embarrassing, it does bring a lot of issues that you see across the country. we have 6,500 sworn members. these guys do not represent the majority of police officers. >> rivera has been awarded 250 thoughts dollar settlement for his pain and suffering. the officers have been suspended with intent to

brody's husband allen posted on facebook yesterday, thank you to those who shared their condolences for the terrible tragedy that took my beloved wife ellen, whom so many of you knew. as investigators piece together the events leading up to the crash, we now know that traffic was backed up behind brody due to an accident on a nearby highway. the driver of the car directly behind her says he tried to get brody to back up off the tracks. >> she looks at me i gesture to come back i back up again further to even indicate there's plenty of room to back up and she turns, walks, and gets back in the car. >> in addition to brody, five train passengers were killed including 36-year-old robert dirks, a research scientist who was married with two small children. >> he just loved his family. he loved his wife christine, who he met at cal tech at a bridge tournament. and they just clicked. they were just perfect for each other. he was a guy you could always count on. he loved life. he loved his brother and his brother loved him. >> nbc's adam reese joins me live from the scene of the accident in valhalla new york. what's the latest on the investigatio

ellen brody was 49 years old, a mother of three. who was behind her described the tense moment right before tuesday night's crash. >> she looks at me, i gestured to come back i back up again further to even indicate that there's plenty of room to back up and she turns, walks and gets back in the car, slight hesitation and then moves forward and at that instant the train came. >> the ntsb plans to release more information in a news conference at the top of the hour. >>> we have some breaking news in our politics lead. a top aide for congressman from illinois out of a job after racist remarks posted on facebook. benjamin cole called for a mosque on the white house lawn so president obama could attend it and complained of quote, black miscreants in his neighborhood. athena jones joins me now with more of the comments. not a great week. >> no, not a good week. that black miscreants comment came on facebook just a few days ago. talking about benjamin cole, a senior advisor for the congressman. think progress the liberal website first rep

a funeral was held for 49-year-old ellen brody she and five passengers were killed in the crash.ed to cross the trains and her car was hit by a gate before she got into her car and for some reason drove on to the tracks. >>> we have breaking news from the northeast section of philadelphia chopper 6 is over the scene where medics are on the scene here involving a hit and run accident involving a police car it was reported before noon time here on the 3700 block of large street, you can see the cars involved including the police cruiser, according to authorities a cruiser in a speeding car struck the police car and fled the scene and while fleeing struck the other person's car as well. two other people were transported to the hospital in good condition and a civilian another person to einstein hospital in stable condition and police are searching for a suspect again a hit and run accident in the northeast, two police officers taken to the hospital and the investigation continues at this hour. >>> the university of virginia is investigating reports of a sexual assault on campus it w

ma i wish i could have saved more he said. >> reporter: ellen brody, the mother of three, will be laid this morning. robin. >> all right, linsey thank you very much. >>> we'll go to amy with the other top stories that are developing and happy birthday amy robach. >> thank you. [ cheers and applause ] >> thank you very much. i appreciate that. that means a lot. good morning to you and everyone else. we begin with questions about the security of turbotax a program used by millions of americans this tax season. this morning the state of minnesota has stopped accepting tax returns filed on turbotax because of what officials call potential fraud. they say some users logged into the site only to find a return had already been prepared in their name. similar cases have been reported in 19 other states. >>> and china may be to blame for the massive data breach at anthem, the country's second largest health insurer. the cyberattack which compromised the personal information of up to 80 million americans is similar to the work of chinese hackers. the breach is evidence of the growing cyberthreat

. >> reporter: six were killed including the suv's driver. 49-year-old ellen brodie. >> it's really devastating. a devastating loss. not only to the family but to all her many friends. >> reporter: a loss shared by five other families. as the search for why the tragic accident happened continues. kurt gregory, nbc news. >>> in jordan, outrage following the death of a jordanian pilot at the hands of isis militants. at the same time though the coalition battling the extremist group is showing strain. the king of jordan is asking u.s. lawmakers for more weapons and assistance to fight the terrorists and the united arab emirates has suspended syrian air strikes citing a lack of rescue resources. nbc's tracie potts is live from washington. what's next for the u.s. and this fight against isis? >> reporter: what's next is holding this coalition together and the man who may be in charge of doing that very soon is ashton carter. he is seeking to be confirmed as defense secretary here on capitol hill. he told lawmakers it will be his number one priority to defeat isis, but he also said that what with we'

. >> reporter: tonight, the dead include the suv driver, 49-year-old ellen brody, 53-year-old eric vandercar, a father of two, and 69-year-old walter liedtke, a curator at the metropolitan museum of art. metro-north has been under serious scrutiny over the past few years because of several accidents. one accident killed four people just over a year ago. tonight, ntsb investigators are anxious to talk to the conductor and engineer. brian. >> tom costello at the scene of that crash for us tonight. tom, thanks. >>> now to the other major disaster we're covering. a commercial airliner crash in taiwan that was incredibly caught on dash cam video the whole way down. at least 31 people were killed when the transasia airways turbo twin engine prop went down. a dozen missing and feared dead. rescuers were able to save 15 people from the wreckage. we get the latest tonight from nbc's ian williams. >> reporter: the dramatic final moments captured by the dash cams of passing cars. the transasia twin prop plane clipping an elevated roadway before slamming into the river below. 58 passengers and crew trap

. >> reporter: six were killed including the suv's driver 49-year-old ellen brody. >> it's really devastating. it's a devastating loss not only to the family but to all her many friends. >> reporter: a loss shared by five other families as the search for why the tragic accident happened continues. curt gregly nbc news. >>> in jordan this morning, outrage following the death of a jordanian pilot at the hands of isis militants. at the same time though the coalition battling the extremist group is showing strain. the king of jordan is asking u.s. lawmakers for more weapons and assistance to fight the terrorists. the united arab emirates has suspended syrian airstrikes citing a lack of rescue resources. nbc's tracie potts is live in washington. tracie, good morning to you. what is next in the u.s. for this fight against isis? >> reporter: well what's next is trying to hold that coalition together and keep it strong. the man who may soon be in charge of that from a military standpoint is ashton carter. he is trying to be confirmed as defense secretary and told congress what we're doing right now,

ellen brody was killed along with five passengers on the plane. witness said brody got out of her vehicle when a railroad crossing gate came down on top of the jeep. for some reason she got back in and drove onto the tracks between the gate 30 seconds before the impact. federal investigators are trying to determine why the mother of three drove onto the tracks. >>> this morning members of a family are facing charges after kidnapping a 6-year-old boy to teach him a lesson because he was too nice to strangers. here are the suspects to include the boy's mother grandmother and aunt. a coworker of one of the women also agreed to take part in the plan. the coworker took the boy after he got off the school bus, told him he would never see his mommy again. he showed authorities a gun, blindfolded him and took him to the family's home and then officials claimed that the aunt took his pants off and told him he could be sold into sex slavery. >> 11 years i've been in law enforcement and have never seen anything like this. where when this is okay to tar roari

funeral services began this morning for 49-year-old ellen brody. a witness says brody got out of her vehicle when a railroad crossing gate came down on her s.u.v. a witness said she got back in and drove on to the train track. investigators are still trying to figure out why. the collision killed brody and five rail passengers. >> be alert and hold on to your cell phone. metro transit police are asking for your help identifying a person of interest in a string of cell phone robberies. we've got surveillance pictures from the dean wooden metro station. take a look. the suspect approaches his victims and snatches their phones right out of their hands. coming up at noon new details in that train crash in taiwan all caught on camera. what the black boxes are revealing about the moments leading up to the crash. >> and new measles cases continuing to pop up around the country. the major announcement from an autism advocacy group on that issue. >> plus escaping near death. the wife of a white house attorney breaking her silence. >> and a warmup in store f

. >> reporter: the dead include the suv driver, 49-year-old ellen brody, eric vandercar, and 69-year-oldalter liedtke, a curator at a museum. >>> the other victim we are learning about is robert dirks. he was a married father of two and a research scientist. and also joseph nadal were killed in the crash. both were employees of j.p. morgan. >>> now the other major disaster story we have been following overnight. this dealing with the death toll from yesterday's plane crash in taiwan. that now stands at 31. 15 people have been hospitalized and another 12 are still missing missing. search efforts are continuing but are being hampered by zero visibility in the water. as you can see here, look at this. cameras on a dashboard of a car capturing the image of the plane as it clipped the side of the bridge as it goes into the water. here we have the video of the rescue teams clinging to one of the youngest victims, a baby being pulled out there. the pilot is being credited for likely saving more lives by steering the plane away from populated areas and the highrise buildings, both the taiwan bui

the driver of that vehicle was identified as 49-year-old ellen brody. investigators say brody had just been diverted from the scene of another accident as she drove on the track os as the wooded arms of the crossing guards came down around her. the train hit brody's vehicle with such force it sent the electrify file rail through the third car of the train. james wallace was in the second car of the train. >> we started smelling gasoline fumes and the fire was getting a lot larger up front at the head of the car. i started thinking this is not the place we want to be. >> reporter: investigators say it appears the fire on the train was fueled by gasoline from brody's suv. five men were killed, all of them in the first car. walter liedke was a curator for more than three decades at the metropolitan museum of art. eric vandercar was a live music fan who worked as a bond trader. the body of joseph nadol is preparing for the identification of his body. also killed was 41-year-old aditya tomar of connecticut. they'll investigate the adequacy of the train's exi

ellen brody died when her suv got stuck in traffic just within the crossing. five passengers on that train also died. the family of one of the survivors of the crash called it a close call for their loved one. patrick izzo was in the first car close to where the five other passengers were killed. his hands were badly burned and he will need surgery but his sister says the family is grateful he is alive. >> all of a sudden a barrel of flames came at me and he looked down and his hands or on fire. his shirt was on fire. he said he felt his hair burning. and he said at that moment he was like i've got to get off this train. >> the sister tells us that her brother used his elbow to open the emergency door then jumped from the train and put his burning hands into the snow. >>> from our jersey shore bureau anti-semitic pictures and messages posted online appear to be directed toward lakewood's large orthodox jewish community. the postings quickly spread on social media. several feature the daughter of a new jersey state police sergeant. the girl is wearing a swastik

officials are trying to figure out why an suv driven by 49 year-old ellen brody was stopped on the tracks. investigators from the national transportation safety board are analyzing information from the train's black boxes and suv's memory modules. five people aboard died after it slammed in the vehicle will tuesday night. brody was also killed. >>> meanwhile a desperate rescue effort continues, this morning, in taiwan's capitol city. crews are looking for survivors of the train trans asia airways plane that went down yesterday in a taipei river. >> authorities say cold water conditions could hamper rescue teams and accident was caught on dash cam video as it happened. pilot issued a mayday call just moments before that plane hit the water. >> unaudible. >> fifty-eight people were on board the plane when it went down in the the key long river. thirty-one people are already confirmed dead, 15 people were pulled from the water alive. this is the second deadly crash for the a airline in seven months. >>> pentagon is sending helicopters to northern iraq to help eight pilots shot down in the re

investigators say ellen brody was on the track for about half a minute before the truck struck. >> 39 seconds before the train occupied the crossing the flashing lights illuminated and the crossing arms activated. >> they'll look at her cell records to see if she might have been distracted at the time. >>> china may be to blame for the big cyberattack on anthem the nation's second largest health insurer. the data breach is similar to other operations by chinese hackers. up to 80 million people may have been affected. they gained access to social security numbers, employments in, addresses, no evidence medical information was compromised, however. >>> well another event has been added to the pope's fall trip to america. he'll address congress. john boehner announced francis will become the first pope ever to speak before a joint meeting of congress. the speech will take place on thursday september 24th. francis will also be making stops at the white house, philadelphia, and here in new york. how do we convince him to come on set. >> shouldn't be too hard. give him our names and we shou

ellen brody, a mother of three, was behind the wheel. >> whoever she encountered in life she just -- they left smiling. >> reporter: smoke poured from the train as passengers scrambled to escape. >> things started to at least appear to fly in the car and then maybe it was sparks that were shooting off and it was just a lot of devastation. sort of hard to understand given what happened. >> we init end to find out what makes this accident different. what made it different that caused this to be fatal to five people on board that train. >> reporter: investigators acknowledge crashes like these between a vehicle and a train rarely kill riders. in this case they believe the electrified third rail ripped from the ground and piercing the train cars may have been the deadly difference. they're working this morning to find out how it became dislodged and why the suv was on the tracks in the first place. bazi kanani abc news washington. >>> well now the latest from the scene of that deadly plane crash in taiwan. >> 31 people killed. meanwhile, families of the dead held a prayer service at the