Federal, state and local officials said Tuesday they are reexamining safety measures along North Jersey train crossings following the deaths of three teens in Garfield and Wayne in a 24-hour span.

But officials also warned that individuals take their lives in their hands when they ignore crossing gates and fences, or walk on tracks where pedestrians are clearly not meant to go.

NJ Transit Executive Director James Weinstein said that at many railroad crossings in residential areas, there is extensive signage and gates – and little can be done if a person ignores these warnings.

“It’s a tragedy,” Weinstein said of the accidents. “As parents, we all see ourselves.”

Even though the crossing gates were down on Outwater Lane in Garfield after a westbound train passed, Michael Cabaj, 13, dipped beneath them Monday on his Razor scooter, not knowing that a second train was coming in the opposite direction. He was struck and killed instantly.

There are no sidewalks or pedestrian crossings over an NJ Transit train trestle in Wayne, but that hasn’t prevented it from being used as a shortcut to get to the Willowbrook Mall. Though it’s unclear where they were headed, Alan Mendez, 16, and Nicholas Sabina, 17, were walking the trestle Sunday night when they were struck and killed by a commuter train. Their friend, Darian Robinson, 15, of Little Falls, survived by jumping to an embankment.

Weinstein said he and state Transportation Commissioner James S. Simpson, also the chairman of NJ Transit’s board, plan to physically inspect the sites in Garfield and Wayne later this week.

“We can’t prevent all accidents, but we’re going to look at everything humanly possible to prevent things like this,” Simpson said.

The railroad line that runs north/south through Garfield and intersects Outwater Lane and three other roads has a sinister nickname among area residents: Suicide Alley.

According to data from the Federal Railroad Administration Office of Safety Analysis, since 2000, Garfield has the deadliest railroad crossings in Bergen County, with four fatalities. By comparison, Elmwood Park, Bergenfield and Ramsey have had two fatalities each in the same period.

Garfield officials are aware of the dangers posed by the tracks that run through the heart of the city, and said they have taken numerous steps to educate people on the dangers the crossings can pose.

For years, Garfield Middle School Students would walk along the nearby tracks as a shortcut home, said Garfield Superintendent of Schools Nicholas Perrapato. The district held assemblies and sent material home to parents to warn children not to do this, but it seems there will always be some who do it anyway, he said.

Councilwoman Tana Raymond, who is also Nursing Supervisor in the Garfield school district, said she plans to introduce an ordinance to place pedestrian gates at Garfield’s four railroad crossings that, when lowered, would make it impossible for anyone to cross. She is also advocating for pedestrian walkways to be built over the crossings.

“We need to take a more proactive role,” Raymond said. “These tracks go all through these other towns, so why is it Garfield where people are always getting killed?”