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Separate Incidents Snarl Manhattan Morning Rush

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- It was a tough morning commute for drivers and NJ TRANSIT customers after three separate incidents snarled traffic and transit in and out of New York City on Monday.

A crash on the Brooklyn Bridge sent seven people to the hospital and forced the outbound lanes to be closed for hours as police investigated.

It happened around 5 a.m. when a disabled Honda in the right lane of the bridge was struck from behind by a Lexus, which was then hit by another sedan, police said.

The impact of the crash caused the Lexus to overturn, ejecting one of the passengers, police said. That person was taken to the hospital with serious injuries. The other people hurt were taken to the hospital with minor injuries.

7 Hurt In Brooklyn Bridge Crash

Two other cars were also struck, WCBS 880's Ginny Kosola reported.

The driver of the Lexus was taken into custody and charges are pending. Police told Kosola the driver of the Lexus may have been intoxicated.

The just before 7 a.m., a car caught fire in the New Jersey bound tube of the Lincoln Tunnel. The closure forced NJ TRANSIT buses that were headed to New York to be diverted to Secaucus Junction and caused delays for drivers leaving the city.

"I got on the bus at 7 and here it is 9:30," one commuter told CBS2's Emily Smith, adding that the ride normally takes 20 minutes.

Jerry Rooney said he left New Jersey late Monday morning in the middle of the mayhem, opting for the bus.

"I was like, 'no matter what I did, I'm in trouble," he said. "So I decided on the bus because there is more of them and just hoping by the time we were on, things cleared and they did."

The tunnel reopened around 8:20 a.m. The outbound lanes of the Brooklyn Bridge reopened around 8:45 a.m.

For current traffic conditions, click here.

Separately, a disabled NJ TRANSIT train caused 60 minute delays in and out of New York's Penn Station around 8:30 a.m. Normal train service was restored with some residual delays just after 10:30 a.m.

Click here to check NJ TRANSIT's current status.

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