B767 Undifferentiated or Other Model
Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Distraction; Situational Awareness
ATC Issue All Types; Conflict Ground Conflict; Critical; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Clearance; Ground Incursion Runway
General None Reported / Taken
Human Factors; Procedure
After landing in EWR; on runway 4R; we were holding short of 4L on K. Aircraft X was cleared for take off 4L; and then tower told us (Aircraft Y) to cross 4L and contact ground control. Aircraft X was already up to speed and well past (I'm guessing) taxiway N or C. My First Officer read back the crossing instructions but I declined to move. After Aircraft X passed our intersection; I crossed and we switched to ground control. At no point did any part of my aircraft cross the hold short line until after the departing aircraft was well off the ground. Tower and ground were very busy; and I'm not sure they even noticed it. We taxied to the gate with ground. I attempted to call the tower via phone multiple times once off duty; but there was consistently no answer. Coordinating with Dispatch; I obtained a different phone number for their ground control/ops; and I gave them my name and phone number. At the time of this report; I am still waiting for [them] to call me back. I also emailed our Chief Pilot to inform her of the incident.
Supervisor asked me to relieve local control. I was given a briefing and in the briefing I thought I heard the relieving controller say that he was rolling with a heavy and I could cross at any time. My first transmission was to Aircraft Y; holding short of runway 4L at taxiway K to cross runway 4L; my second transmission was to Aircraft Z; holding short of runway 4L at taxiway m to cross runway 4L. Neither aircraft moved and then I looked up and saw Aircraft X; nose up right before taxiway J. Me not scanning the full runway before issuing the crossing is what led up to the event. I just took the relieving controller's word for it that I could cross.Be sure to fully scan the runway before issuing a clearance to cross.
While a controller change was happening; the Local Controller reported crossing two aircraft and did not observe a departing aircraft on the runway. The ERJ170 Captain reported they did not move because they saw the departing aircraft.