Fort Pierce - Thursday September 28, 2023: A northbound Brightline passenger train struck and killed a homeless man on the tracks in Fort Pierce this morning.
At an afternoon news conference St. Lucie County Sheriff Ken Mascara identified the victim as 25-year-old Branden Rider Meyer. He said "there is strong evidence that suggests that he may potentially have committed suicide."
It happened just north of Midway Road, near the 4400 block of South Indian River Drive. St. Lucie County Sheriff detectives responded to the crash at 8:45 a.m.
This is the second incident in less than a week in which a Brightline train has struck and killed a person on the tracks.
Last week, on Friday September 21, on the day that Brightline launched its Miami - Orlando service, a person was struck and killed on the tracks in Delray Beach. Delray Beach Police have characterized that death as a suicide also.
Just two days ago, Fort Pierce Police posted an advisory warning residents to take extra precautions now that Brightline passenger trains are traveling through the Treasure Coast.
View a recent video below from the Fort Pierce Police Department of a Brightline train traveling through Fort Pierce: