A routine train stop in Connecticut turned deadly when a passenger climbed onto a rail car and was killed. According to News 12, a man has died after climbing on top of a train car at the Southport train station in Fairfield. The death has prompted an investigation and briefly shut down service at the station during the morning.
Authorities say the man had been riding the train before the incident unfolded. MTA police say the person was a passenger who became disorderly while on board, drawing the attention of others around him. The disturbance set off the chain of events that would end with his death.
According to police, the situation escalated when the man was confronted. That is when, investigators say, he climbed between the second and third car and made his way to the top of the train. The move put him dangerously close to the electrified equipment that powers the line.
On top of the car, the man came into contact with a deadly hazard. Police say he was electrocuted by an overhead wire, the high-voltage line that supplies power to the trains. The contact proved fatal at the scene of the Southport station.
The death forced an immediate response from transit staff and emergency crews. Passengers were evacuated from the area, and the station was closed while authorities dealt with the aftermath. It has since reopened, allowing service through the busy commuter stop to resume.
Officials are now working to piece together exactly how the death occurred. Fairfield police and fire departments are assisting the MTA in the investigation, examining the circumstances that led a disorderly passenger to climb onto a train car and be killed. The inquiry is expected to look at both the man's actions and the response on board.