RIDGEWOOD, NJ — An NJ Transit bus nearly went tumbling down a steep Bergen County embankment Friday afternoon, with a guardrail and several large boulders preventing the vehicle from plunging toward the train tracks below.

The out-of-service bus was traveling down a steep stretch of Glenwood Road near Ho-Ho-Kus train station around 3:35 p.m. when it struck a guardrail, leaving it perched precariously above the tracks, according to NJ Transit and incident reports.

The driver, the only person aboard, escaped through an emergency window before firefighters arrived. No injuries were reported.

The bus had no passengers and was heading to Rochelle Park to begin its run on the No. 164 route, an NJ Transit spokesperson said.

The crash temporarily disrupted train service, with NJ Transit suspending Bergen County Line trains in both directions north of Ridgewood while crews worked to remove the bus. The Main-Bergen County and Port Jervis lines were later reported near or back on schedule.

A heavy-duty tow truck was brought in to recover the bus, which was taken to NJ Transit's Oradell Bus Maintenance Facility.

NJ Transit rail and bus personnel, NJ Transit police, Ho-Ho-Kus police and firefighters, and Ridgewood police, firefighters and EMS responded.

Local police are leading the investigation, NJ Transit said.