Rutgers Student From Boonton Tripped On Tracks Before Train Death

BOONTON, NJ — The Rutgers student who was hit by a train and killed last week at an NJ Transit station tripped and fell onto the tracks, according to a New Brunswick police report on the incident.

Kenneth Patterson, 18, of Boonton, tripped and fell as he was crossing the tracks at the Jersey Avenue station, according to a New Brunswick police report made public Wednesday. He fell onto the tracks at approximately 4:00 a.m. on Saturday, December 9 and was hit by a southbound Amtrak train. Patch originally reported he was killed at the New Brunswick station, but that was incorrect; the death occurred at Jersey Avenue.

The conductor of the Amtrak train, Shawn Savage, 45, told police he saw Patterson “crossing over the tracks, he then tripped on one of the tracks causing him to fall,” according to this article in the Bergen County Record, which obtained the New Brunswick police report. Related: Boonton Man Struck, Killed By Train At Rutgers

When police got there at 4:07 a.m., Patterson was already pronounced dead at the scene.

Patterson is from Boonton, New Jersey and he was a first-year Rutgers student who played lacrosse with the club team.

"It is with a heavy heart that I bring you the news of the death of first-year student Kenneth Patterson. Kenneth, a Boonton, New Jersey native, died on Saturday morning," Rutgers chancellor Deba Dutta said in an email message to the entire Rutgers community last week. "During his brief time at Rutgers, Kenneth made an impact on the community in his residence hall and was active with the university's club lacrosse team. The holiday season is a period that should be filled with reunions with loved ones, so please keep Kenneth's family and friends in your thoughts and prayers in the coming days and weeks."

Photo by Carly Baldwin/Patch