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Man hit by NJ Transit train, killed

A man was struck and killed by a NJ Transit train Wednesday night in a wooded area 50 feet south of Peal River, police say. According to authorities, the victim, 39-year-old Orlando Martinez, trespassed

News 12 Staff

May 28, 2014, 6:55 PM

Updated 3,842 days ago

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A man was struck and killed by a NJ Transit train Wednesday night in a wooded area 50 feet south of Peal River, police say.
According to authorities, the victim, 39-year-old Orlando Martinez, trespassed and was lying on the train tracks when he was struck at around 12:10 a.m. near the Montvale station.
Upon seeing a person on the tracks, the engineer aboard the locomotive, which was traveling without passengers on the Passaic Valley line toward Hoboken, sounded a horn and activated the train?s emergency braking system, but was unable to stop in time.
Martinez was pronounced dead at the scene about 30 minutes later.
Police are currently awaiting the medical examiner?s report to establish whether the victim fell asleep on the railroad tracks or committed suicide.
Following the incident, one train was rerouted to avoid the Montvale station, but service was back to normal for the morning commute.
This is the latest in a series of fatal train accidents in the area. In May, two Nanuet teens were hit by a NJ Transit train as they were walking along the tracks between Nanuet and Spring Valley. One of the victims, 15-year-old Connor Corish, was killed, while his friend Christopher Cipolli was severely injured.
About two months later, 22-year-old Ryan Fitzsimons lost his life while walking along the tracks in West Nyack. He was struck by a CSX freight train transporting boxcars and tankers.
"Everybody should be watching and observing and being alert as to what's going on around them," says Robin Josephs, of Chestnut Ridge.