Thousands of World Cup fans were left stranded at MetLife Stadium for hours over the weekend as chaos reigned and trains left almost empty — with “petty” New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill taking the heat.
Insiders said too many people tried to drive and park at the American Dream theme park close to the site, temporarily renamed the New York New Jersey Stadium for the soccer games.
Visitors who took ride shares couldn’t get off the property till past midnight, leading to frustrated scenes for hours.
There was more positive news for fans traveling by bus. NJ Transit got all of the bus passengers off the site within three hours of the game ending at 8:30 p.m. Saturday.
Things could have been worse: One of the buses taking part in shuttle runs between New York City and the stadium was set ablaze amid wild celebrations after the New York Knicks’ historic NBA Championship victory over the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday night.
A transportation planning source told The Post that “petty” Sherrill was to blame for the shambolic scenes for refusing to bring down the $98 train ticket price.
“Maybe instead of being petty and demanding the FIFA Host Committee pay to switch out all the [stadium’s] signs so it says New Jersey before New York, Sherrill should have made them bring down the cost of the crazy $98 train ticket that left thousands stranded after the game while they ran train cars that were half-empty!” the source told The Post in the wake of Saturday’s disruption before and after the Brazil vs. Morocco game.
Sherrill’s office did not respond to Post requests for comment.
The governor urged visitors to take the train in for the matches.
But with fans expected to pay an inflated $98 for a round-trip ticket, many were looking for alternative options.
Many of the trains reportedly arrived at the stadium far under capacity, suggesting fans had opted to drive, even with parking near the stadium costing up to $225.
