‘Train Surfer’ Found On Fire Atop Metro-North Car
A man has been hospitalized after he was found on fire atop a Metro-North train headed from Stamford, Connecticut, to New York City on Sunday morning.
According to NBC Connecticut, 21-year-old Brian McClellen was found on top of the train and on fire by MTA workers. McClellen had been electrocuted and burned after a pantograph, better known as the mechanical arm atop a train that draws power from overhead wires, came down upon him as the train entered the station. Workers used a fire extinguisher to put out the flames.
.@MTA officials say a man rode ON TOP of a @MetroNorth train this morning. Man found on fire. Details on @News12CT. pic.twitter.com/XtVw23xwWA
— Allison Bybee (@BroadcastBybee) November 9, 2014
The train had been scheduled for a 6:19 a.m. arrival at Grand Central Station, but lost power shortly after 5 a.m., at the Riverside Metro-North station in Connecticut, according to Newsday. While the MTA said it was unclear how McClellen ended up on top of the train, Greenwich police asserted that he jumped onto the moving train near the Greenwich/Stamford line, riding it for a time. There were also reports of a possible explosion when the train was at the Riverside station, according to Greenwich police.
A man was found on fire on top of a commuter train headed to New York City http://t.co/8LcdK7o1vJ pic.twitter.com/Rmt8SdiYBm
— NBC Los Angeles (@NBCLA) November 9, 2014
McClellen was transported to Westchester Medical Center’s burn unit. While his condition was unclear, he was still alive following the incident. About 20 people were aboard the train at the time it lost power, and passengers headed to Grand Central Station were picked up by another train.
Incredible: #Greenwich, #CT police say a man jumped on top of a moving Metro-North train and rode it for a distance pic.twitter.com/tod9tpXnup
— Jaime López-Torres M (@jlopezt) November 9, 2014
Last year, a man was killed atop a New York City subway car as he attempted to travel in a similar fashion. As the Inquisitr noted at the time, synthetic marijuana was found in his system, after he struck his head on a beam as the train pulled into a station. Though the man, known by the nickname “Grump,” was not immediately killed by the impact, he fell between the train cars and called for help. He died as a result of his injuries less than an hour after the accident.
The train was sent back to the Stamford station for inspection, as Metro North police investigate McClellen’s accident.
[Image via the Daily Mail]
