Middletown man walking along tracks before being struck, killed by train

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EARLIER REPORT, June 4:

A 35-year-old Middletown man was struck and killed by a train while he was walking on the tracks near Wildwood Road and Manchester Avenue Sunday night, according to police.

Thomas Pennington, of Roosevelt Boulevard, was pronounced dead at the scene around 8:25 p.m., according to a Middletown police report.

When police arrived, Pennington’s body was lying on the east side of the railroad tracks just south of Manchester Avenue.

The three people on the train — the conductor, a trainee and an engineer — told police the train was traveling north on the railroad tracks approaching Manchester when they saw a man walking in the middle of the tracks with his back to the train.

The conductor told police he sounded the horn multiple times, but Pennington continued walking on the tracks.

As the train got closer to Pennington, the conductor activated the emergency brakes before the train hit Pennington.

The Norfolk Southern train was traveling about 37 mph, according to the conductor. The train had 57 cars and was about 3,549 feet long, the report said.

The Butler County Coroner’s Office responded and took over the investigation.