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Community Corner

Man Killed by Train Near Lansdale Pennbrook Station

The death is the second on SEPTA tracks in over a week.

Monday, Aug. 1 Update: Lansdale Borough Police and Montgomery County Coroner have identified the victim. for more.

An unidentified man was killed this morning when he was struck by a train near the Pennbrook SEPTA station in Lansdale.

Lansdale Police Chief Robert McDyre said the victim, a white male in his 50s, was struck by a southbound train on the tracks between the station and Line Street at about 7:43 a.m.

Find out what's happening in Montgomeryville-Lansdalewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

McDyre said the man was not carrying any identification. He declined to describe the victim's clothing until police could identify him and notify his family. A Lansdale police officer was seen carrying a white pair of Asics sneakers away from the scene.

It is not yet known whether the man was struck by accident or if he intended to be hit by the train.

Find out what's happening in Montgomeryville-Lansdalewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Lansdale Borough Council President Matt West was aboard a southbound train at the station at the time of the incident. West told Patch that all passengers aboard that train were made to disembark. West later told Patch at about 9:20 a.m. that he and other passengers had been allowed to board another southbound train and were in transit.

At about 9:30 a.m., authorities moved a stopped southbound train to access the man's body, which had been pinned beneath it. Workers from the Montgomery County Coroner's office were seen examining the body on the adjacent tracks. The man's body was then loaded onto the last car of the stopped train on a stretcher.

To accomodate the investigation, Hancock Street in Lansdale was closed between Broad and Line streets.

The death is the latest in a recent string of incidents involving persons being struck by SEPTA trains. Last week, a man was killed . That death followed  at the Hatboro SEPTA station over the course of the previous month.

McDyre said the coroner's office has jurisdiction over the investigation, which will later be turned over to SEPTA. A statement on the incident is expected from SEPTA later Friday.

Patch editor Tony DiDomizio and correspondent Keith Heffintrayer contributed to this report.

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