Man Found Afire On Top of Metro-North Train in Riverside

A 21-year-old man was admitted to the Westchester Medical Center Burn Unit after he was found ablaze on top of a Metro-North train that was stopped at the Riverside station in Greenwich early Sunday.

According to MTA spokesman Aaron Donovan, the crew aboard the 5:02 a.m. train out of Stamford was at its scheduled stop in Riverside about 5:07 a.m. when the train lost power. “The crew followed proper procedures and went out to check the train. They found a 21-year-old Ohio man on fire, on top of the train,” Donovan said.

“They used a fire extinguisher to extinguish the fire. It is unclear why he was there, how he got there … or how long he was up there,” Donovan said. Greenwich Emergency Medical Service brought the man to the Westchester County Medical Center in Valhalla, NY for treatment, Donovan said.

The victim was identified as Brian McClellen, who is believed to be from the Cleveland, OH area, Donovan said.

Asked whether McClellen was one of the 20 passengers aboard the train, Donavan said that remains unconfirmed but likely.

According to Donovan, the incident did not impact train service even though power was temporarily shut off to all four rail lines. “It was the first train of the day … at that hour, train traffic is light,” Donovan said. The remaining passengers were transferred to an express train that made a special stop in Riverside to pick them up, according to Donovan.

Metropolitan Transit Authority Police are in their preliminary stages of their investigation of the incident, Donovan said.

Photo credit: The MTA.

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