Cocoa police: Man stood on tracks before being fatally struck by Brightline passenger train

J.D. Gallop, Florida Today
Updated ·3 min read

A 45-year-old pedestrian was struck and killed by a Brightline passenger train in Cocoa after witnesses said he deliberately stood along the tracks, police reported.

The deadly crash happened about 3:30 p.m. Monday at the intersection of Rosa L. Jones Boulevard and U.S. 1. It is the eighth fatal train-related crash to take place in Brevard County since October 2023 and the seventh to involve a Brightline passenger train.

Witnesses told Cocoa police that a 45 year old man was seen standing along the tracks moments before the arrival of a Brightline passenger train. FILE.
Witnesses told Cocoa police that a 45 year old man was seen standing along the tracks moments before the arrival of a Brightline passenger train. FILE.

Cocoa police officers arrived within moments to find the unidentified man's body near the tracks, which lie parallel to U.S. 1, a heavily travelled traffic corridor that cuts through several of the county’s most populated areas.

Police talked to witnesses, including at least one person who had a video recording of the man standing on the tracks, apparently waiting for the southbound train, police reported. The body was recovered by the medical examiner's office and transported to the agency's Rockledge office for an autopsy this week.

Deaths in recent train-related incidents have occured from Cocoa to Barefoot Bay. They include:

  • On Oct. 19, 2023, a 60-year-old woman fatally struck by a Brightline train near Aurora Road and Cypress Avenue in Melbourne. Lisa Marie Molnar was walking leading up to her death.

  • On Dec. 24, 2023, a 36-year-old woman, a pedestrian, was killed in Melbourne in a collision with a Brightline train. Identified as  Katherine Stimus, was struck not far from the Oct. 19 collision occurred.

  • On Jan. 11, 2024, a 62-year-old man was killed in a collision involving a Brightline train in Melbourne. Charles Julian Phillips, reportedly attempted to go around the track’s barrier arms. Three other passengers in the SUV were hospitalized with serious injuries at the time.

  • On Jan. 12, 2024, two people were killed along U.S. Highway 1 in Melbourne. The pair were in a truck and officials said the vehicle had attempted to ride around the barrier arms lowered in advance of the oncoming train. 52-year-old driver Lisa Ann Batchelder and her 54-year-old passenger, Michael Degasperi were killed.

  • On Feb. 8, 2024, a 34-year-old Indialantic man was fatally struck by a Brightline train at the Fee Avenue crossing in Melbourne. Witnesses at told police that Mark L. Segretto, lay on the tracks and waited as the southbound passenger train approached.

  • On April 18, 2024, an adult male was killed when he was struck by a Brightline train at the Barefoot Bay and Ron Beatty crossing. The pedestrian was reported dead at the scene.

  • On May 14, 2024, an adult female was killed was struck by a Brightline train at Ansin Road near Rockledge. No details have been released in the case.

More: Is Brightline safe? How many people have been killed in train crashes? Here's what to know

In the latest incident in Cocoa, the passenger train was allowed to leave shortly after the investigation.

Traffic at the intersection remain blocked off for nearly two hours, police reported. An investigation is ongoing.

J.D. Gallop is a criminal justice/breaking news reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Gallop at 321-917-4641 or jgallop@floridatoday.com. Or X, formerly known as Twitter: @JDGallop.

This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Cocoa police: Man standing along tracks killed by Brightline train