Man Killed by Train Likely Committed Suicide, Police Say

Updated Tuesday at 2:30 p.m.:

Lake Forest Police believe the man killed by an Amtrak train Sunday committed suicide. His name has not yet been released.

The following is the full press release from the police department:

Since Sunday, 9/7/14, detectives from the Lake Forest Police Department have continued to investigate the fatal train strike at the west side train station by reviewing security video obtained from the train station cameras as well as the statements obtained from several witnesses. Based on the information in hand, particularly the video recordings, investigators are led to believe that the victim in this incident most likely deliberately placed himself directly in the path of the oncoming Amtrak train that struck and killed him.

Detectives have also tentatively identified the victim in this incident and continue to work with the Lake County Coroner’s Office to positively identify the victim using DNA obtained in cooperation with the man’s family. Once the victim’s identity has been definitively confirmed and his family notified, the Lake County Coroner’s Office will release the victim’s identity in accordance with their policy.

Original post from Monday

A man was struck and killed by an Amtrak train at Lake Forest’s west train station Sunday evening, according to police. He has not yet been identified.

The following is the full press release from the police department:

On Sunday, September 7, 2014, at 6:08 PM, the Lake Forest Police and Fire Departments responded to the City’s west train station, located at 911 South Telegraph Road, for a report of a pedestrian struck by a train. At the station platform, police and fire personnel located the body of a man struck by a southbound Amtrak train, which stopped south of the train station. Fire Department personnel immediately determined the victim was deceased.

According to a witness as well as the train’s engineer, the victim walked toward the pedestrian crossing, which is located on the north end of the station’s platform, where he was struck by the train. No identification was made of the victim on-scene. Lake Forest Police and the Lake County Coroner’s Office continue to investigate this incident and continue working to identify the victim. When an identification of the victim is made, the Lake County Coroner’s Office will release the information after the victim’s family has been notified.