Towson Businessman Among Dead from Amtrak Derailment

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A Maryland man who worked in Towson was pulled from the wreckage of Amtrak train 188 two days after it derailed north of Philadelphia, according to reports.

Bob Gildersleeve, 45, was reportedly in the first car of the train traveling from Washington to New York when it crashed off its rails late Tuesday.

Since the derailment, Gildersleeve’s family had not heard from him, and his teenage son released a video asking for information about his dad.

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After officials announced they found an eighth deceased passenger in the wreckage Thursday afternoon, Gildersleeve’s aunt told New York Daily News: “They found him.”

Bob Gildersleeve Sr., 71, who lives in Florida and is the victim’s father, told The New York Times that his son lived in Elkridge with his family and was bound for New York on business.

The younger Gildersleeve was vice president for corporate accounts for Ecolab, which has an office in Towson and headquarters in St. Paul, Minn.

“We are deeply saddened by the loss of our friend and colleague,” Ecolab CEO Doug Baker said in a statement. “Bob was with Ecolab for 22 years, most recently as vice president of Corporate Accounts for our Institutional business in North America. Bob was an exceptional leader and was instrumental to our success. We will greatly miss him, and our thoughts go out to his beloved family members and friends.”

The derailment killed eight and injured more than 140 people in the Port Richmond section of Philadelphia, according to authorities, who said a total of 243 were aboard.

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Cadaver-sniffing dogs were called to investigate the area of the first car Thursday morning, where the body of the eighth deceased passenger was pulled from the wreckage using hydraulic tools, Philadelphia Fire Commissioner Derrick Sawyer said during a Thursday afternoon press conference.

The body was located at 8 a.m., CBS reported. A family friend confirmed to CBS that it was that of Bob Gildersleeve.

“All individuals...have now been accounted for and we know their whereabouts completely,” Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter said during a Thursday afternoon press conference.

On Thursday afternoon, WJZ reported 43 people were still hospitalized from the crash.

Photo of Bob Gildersleeve from LinkedIn. Screenshot of derailment from YouTube/NTSB.