B737-400 LAND RWY 4R. TWR ISSUING NON STOP INSTRUCTIONS. THOUGHT WAS CLRED TO FOLLOW ACFT ACROSS RWY 4L. DISCUSSED WITH TWR AFTER PARKING AND ADVISED NO CONFLICT; MAY FILE A RPT. ACFT CLRED FOR TKOF WAS JUST MOVING INTO POS WHEN THE RPTR CROSSED RWY. TWR SUPVR LATER ADVISED A RPT WOULD BE FILED.

Narrative

AFTER LNDG ON RWY 4R AT EWR; I RECEIVED SEVERAL INSTRUCTIONS AT ONE TIME FROM THE TWR CTLR. AFTER FOLLOWING THE ACFT IN FRONT OF ME ACROSS THE PARALLEL RWY 4L; THE GND CTLR TOLD ME I WAS SUPPOSED TO HOLD SHORT OF RWY 4L. I DID NOT HEAR THOSE INSTRUCTIONS. THE RADIO WAS CONGESTED AND THE TWR CTLR HAD GIVEN THE INSTRUCTION FIRST. THE FO AND A JUMP-SEATING AIR TFC CTLR FROM NEW YORK TRACON ALSO MISUNDERSTOOD THE INSTRUCTIONS. I DID NOT REPEAT BACK THE HOLD SHORT INSTRUCTIONS AND THE TWR DID NOT SAY ANYTHING BACK TO ME. WHEN I GOT TO THE GATE; I CALLED THE TWR TO DISCUSS THE MISUNDERSTANDING. THE TWR SUPVR ON DUTY SAID HE MIGHT FILE A RPT. HE CALLED ME AT MY HOTEL LATER TO TELL ME HE WAS GOING TO FILE A RPT. HE TOLD ME SAFETY WAS NOT COMPROMISED. THE ACFT THAT WAS CLRED TO TAKE OFF ON RWY 4L WAS NOT IN POS TO TAKE OFF. IT WAS TURNING ONTO THE RWY. I WAS CLR OF THE RWY BEFORE THE ACFT STARTED ITS TKOF. WHEN I CROSSED RWY 4L I SAW THE ACFT TURNING ONTO THE RWY. I BELIEVE THAT THE THINGS THAT CONTRIBUTED TO THIS SIT; WAS THE CONGESTED RADIO; THE CTLR WORKLOAD AND THE FACT THAT I DID NOT ASK THE CTLR TO REPEAT THE INSTRUCTIONS WHEN HE GAVE THEM TO ME SO QUICKLY.