Teen's South Jersey Train Death Was Hate Crime, Not Suicide: New Lawsuit

MAYS LANDING, NJ — It was July 12, 2015, when 18-year-old Tiffany Valiante was struck and killed by a train on the Atlantic City Rail Line. Shortly after, investigators deemed it a suicide and closed the case. But in the decade since, her family has denied this, believing their daughter to have been killed. And Friday, the Valiante family said it may have been because she was a lesbian.

On July 11, the eve of the 10-year anniversary of Valiante's death, her family filed a new lawsuit alleging that she was the victim of a hate crime, according to a news release. It claims that Valiante's sexuality was never taken into consideration in the investigation.

Her family has long alleged that their daughter would never have done what the official story says: that she walked four miles to the train tracks without her phone, took her shoes and shorts off and stepped in front of a train. Instead, they characterized Valiante as a happy-go-lucky girl with a bright future ahead of her: she was a recent Oakcrest High School graduate who was preparing to attend Mercy College on five volleyball scholarships.

The lawsuit, filed by the D'Amato Law Firm, which has represented the Valiantes for the past decade, is believed to be the first brought under the New Jersey Constitution's Crime Victims’ Bill of Rights Act.

New evidence in the lawsuit includes transcripts of text messages to and from Valiante. A series of text messages from a female acquaintance reads "What's your problem with me? Think I'm scum? I'll show you scum sweetie don't worry."

The string of messages ends with "Seeya dyke."

These texts show a pattern of harassment, the family says.

The Valiante family has said that by quickly ruling their daughter's death as a suicide, investigators ignored or mishandled critical evidence that would point to her being purposefully killed.

“Tragically, this suspicious death case was closed in less than 12 hours without a full and proper investigation that Tiffany and her family – victims in their own right - deserved then and now 10 years later,” said Paul D’Amato, of the D’Amato Law Firm. “Our legal and forensic team—working pro bono for nearly one decade — is now seeking, under the Crime Victims Bill of Rights, court-ordered access to all relevant state evidence so we can finally determine what really happened to Tiffany.”

Additional new evidence from an independent forensic pathologist claims that Valiante was killed and her body placed on the train tracks to cover it up. The lawsuit alleges that she was kidnapped by unknown people possibly at gunpoint, assaulted and killed.

The Valiante family is asking the court to authorize a full review by the parents’ legal team of the evidence held by the New Jersey Transit Police and the Medical Examiner’s Office, including access to the NJT train itself and all relevant surveillance and physical data. Once they’ve completed their work, they will present their findings to prosecutors.

The case has attracted international attention, even being featured on Netflix's "Unsolved Mysteries" in 2022.

Previous Reporting

Reward Doubled In South Jersey Teen's 'Suspicious' Death

Netflix's 'Unsolved Mysteries' To Feature South Jersey Teen's Death

Could South Jersey Woman Have Been Kidnapped Before She Died?