'Today' host says she fell asleep on Amtrak train, got trapped

Anyone who's ever fallen asleep on a train and found themselves alone in an empty car when they awoke is not alone. "Today" show host Sheinelle Jones knows just how you feel.

During the April 6 episode of "Today with Jenna and Sheinelle", the cohost of the NBC morning franchise's third-hour program recounted her terrifying experience of falling asleep on an Amtrak train from Philadelphia to New York, only to wake up and realize no one else was on the train.

“I got a little sleepy because I’d had a long day, and I fell asleep," Jones said. "You stop moving, but you feel like it’s probably because it’s not time and we’re not in Moynihan (Train Hall in Manhattan)."

Jones said her train was supposed to arrive in New York around 10 p.m. ET, but when she woke up from her nap and checked her phone, it was 12:20 a.m., and there was no one on the train.

"So, you'd been asleep for two hours underground," Jones' cohost, Jenna Bush Hager, remarked in shock, to which Jones responded: "Two hours in the depths of New York City."

Sheinelle Jones' exit attempt

Jones said she tried to find someone else on the long, dark train, like a "conductor or something," but when she didn't encounter anyone, she tried exiting, but the door wouldn't open. She even tried prying the door open, but only ended up with a bruised middle finger.

"It hits me after a few minutes, like, 'Oh, I’m stuck on the train,'" she said. "I can't believe this is happening."

Sheinelle Jones calls for help

In a last-ditch effort, the anchor dialed 911, and knowing that these calls are often made public, she tried to be as calm as possible.

“(The dispatcher) goes, ‘Okay, stay right there,’ which, where else am I going?" Jones joked. "And then I felt like a toddler. I was like, ‘Will you stay on the phone with me?’"

About 10 minutes later, a cop arrived, but before he even rescued Jones, he asked her for a selfie, telling her his wife loves her.

"Please let me off the train first," Jones laughed.

The officer then went and "got another guy," and the two helped Jones off the train.

To add to the drama, Jones said when she finally made it home, her three children, who had made no attempts to contact her, were unfazed by her late return.

“I got home, and I thought it was gonna be like, ‘Mommy, where have you been?'" she shared. "They were up playing video games, like, ‘Hey, Mom.’"

Jones remarked she "never can fall asleep on a train again."

"I always thought my body would wake up," Jones said, adding, "PSA: If you see someone's asleep on the train, and it's the last stop, wake them up."

Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] and follow her on X and Instagram @saman_shafiq7.