An Ohio high school junior was killed after he was struck by a train in metro Dayton while trying to duplicate a stunt he saw on an Internet video, a relative said Monday.
Centerville High School student Joseph Fernandez, 16, died Friday night in Miamisburg when he was hit by a Norfolk Southern train after he laid down on the tracks, police records show.
“I just hope this raises awareness with every single parent in this community,” the teen’s uncle, Joshua Fernandez, said Monday, when grief counselors were on hand at Centerville High.
The elder Fernandez added, “You’ve got to talk with the children because this is what happens when something goes wrong….All these videos on YouTube of people doing this exact same stunt and not dying is what encouraged these kids to do this. People should stop posting this stuff.”
A service for Joseph Fernandez is set for Thursday in Centerville.
The fatality that happened about 7:40 p.m. Friday is considered an “an accidental death for now” with no indication of suicide, said Cindi Threlkeld of the Miamisburg Police Department.
The railroad crossing arms and signals “were working exactly how they were intended to,” she said, noting there are “multiple avenues we’re investigating right now.”
A 911 caller told a dispatcher Friday night "I guess he didn't hear the train" before admitting Fernandez had laid down on the tracks.
“I think he had the idea of laying on the tracks and tried to survive it,” the caller said.
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