A man was fatally struck by a train last Tuesday night near the Mineola station on the Long Island Rail Road’s Main Line, according to the MTA.
An investigation is underway, according to a spokesperson.
Chesnel Veillard, 81, was confirmed by New York state officials to be the man involved in the incident. According to the initial report posted to Facebook on Nov. 17, Veillard, who has dementia, was last seen at 1 a.m. on Tuesday near New Cassel.
An update to the initial Facebook post reads, “The alert for Chesnel Veillard is canceled. Police advised that he was located deceased. We extend our heartfelt sympathies to Mr. Veillard’s family and thank everyone who searched for him.”
Mayor Scott Strauss confirmed the incident to Blank Slate Media, saying the Mineola Fire Department was responding to a car accident near the intersection of Marcellus Road and Jericho Turnpike when another call came in to respond to a person pinned under a train. Strauss said it is unclear if the man was pronounced dead at the scene or later.
The LIRR tweeted at 1:30 a.m Wednesday morning that delays due to the incident had been fixed.
After the incident, the LIRR tweeted, “LIRR service is suspended in both directions between Jamaica & Hicksville on the Huntington/Port Jefferson, Ronkonkoma and Oyster Bay branches due to a trespasser on the tracks at Mineola being struck by a train. Police, EMS & LIRR personnel are on scene.”
In March, ironworker Kelly Gluchowski was listed in critical condition after being electrocuted while working on the Mineola station. MTA officials said the incident occurred during the installation of a pedestrian bridge for the station, when Gluchowski was touching a piece of steel that made contact with a crane as it moved into overhead energized cables.
