Shaw Local

News   •   Sports   •   Obituaries   •   eNewspaper   •   Election   •   The Scene   •   175 Years
Local News

Coroner identified man hit and killed by Metra train on May 15

The Will County Coroner’s Office released the name of a man who was struck and killed by a Metra train last week in New Lenox.

Ryan G. Starkus, 23, of New Lenox was pronounced dead at 10:55 a.m. May 15 on the eastbound Metra track at milepost 34.

The train was headed to Chicago from Joliet and stopped about 1 mile east of the New Lenox Metra station on Church Street, according to Metra.

Starkus was a pedestrian who was struck by a train. An autopsy performed May 16 revealed he suffered multiple injuries as a result of the incident.

The Metra Police Department is investigating the death. The final cause and manner of death will be determined at a later date, pending final autopsy, toxicology and police investigative reports. Metra said that about 50 passengers were aboard at the time of the incident. New Lenox police were first to arrive on the scene.

Metra said in a tweet about 8:45 a.m. on May 15 that train No. 506 was stopped near New Lenox because of police activity. A tweet sent around 9:30 that morning said the train had hit a pedestrian.

Alex Ortiz

Alex Ortiz

Alex Ortiz is a reporter for The Herald-News in Joliet. Originally from Romeoville, Ill., he joined The Herald-News in 2017 and mostly covers Will County government, politics, education and more. He earned his bachelor's degree at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a master's degree from Northwestern University.