A transient was killed instantly Wednesday afternoon when he was struck by an Amtrak train in Santa Barbara, according to the Santa Barbara City Fire Department.
The fatality, which police believe was a suicide, occurred at about 12:40 p.m. just west of the Milpas Street railroad crossing, said Battalion Chief Jim McCoy.
“At this point in the investigation, the indications are that it was a suicide, and he intentionally lay down on the tracks,” said Sgt. Riley Harwood of the Santa Barbara Police Department.
Based on belongings found nearby, the victim was tentatively identified as a 60-year-old transient who was known to police, Harwood said.
The incident involved a northbound passenger train that was heading into the Santa Barbara station, McCoy said.
“It’s pretty gruesome,” Sgt. Mike McGrew told Noozhawk. “He’s under the train.”
McGrew said he believed the victim to be a white male.
Santa Barbara County coroner’s personnel were dispatched to the scene. Officials from Amtrak arrived at the tracks about 45 minutes after the accident, but they declined to comment about the death.
Additional details were not immediately available.
Check back with Noozhawk for updates to this story.
Noozhawk staff writer Joshua Molina contributed to this report.
— Noozhawk executive editor Tom Bolton can be reached at tbolton@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.