Crime & Safety
UPDATE: Amtrak Train in San Leandro Hits and Kills Concord Man
A Capitol Corridor train struck James Calhoun, 24, around 10:15 a.m. Thursday.
UPDATE: A Patch reader named Kim wrote in to the, saying she was a friend of James Calhoun. Kim said, "He was a 24yr old, happy full of life and everyone who know 'JameO' loved him and everything about him."
Bay City News Service
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A Sacramento-bound Amtrak train hit and killed a man Thursday morning in San Leandro.
The man was later identified as James Calhoun, 24, of Concord.
Find out what's happening in Concordwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Capitol Corridor train No. 528, which runs between San Jose and Sacramento, struck a person around 10:15 a.m. just south of in San Leandro, according to Amtrak spokeswoman Vernae Graham and San Leandro police spokesman Lt. Jeff Tudor.
Union Pacific railroad police are taking over the investigation because the crash took place on their property, even though it was an Amtrak train, officers at the scene said.
Officers on site were seen inspecting a pile of clothing, including jeans and a pair of shoes, next to the tracks around 11:45 a.m.
Officers declined to comment on the incident or to give further information about the victim at that time.
There were no injuries to the 35 passengers on board or to any crew members, Graham said.
The train was cancelled, and passengers transferred to another Capital Corridor train, she said. No major delays were reported as officials waited for the incident to be cleared.
The man was on the tracks but not on the Davis Street marked crossing, Graham said.
In a separate incident at 10:30 a.m., San Joaquin train No. 701 from Bakersfield to Sacramento struck a pedestrian west of the city of Merced.
Graham said the death appeared to be a suicide.
Trains were delayed in the morning but were back on schedule by early afternoon.
California had the highest number of fatalities due to trespassing on railroad property last year, according to Operation Lifesaver, a nonprofit co-founded by Union Pacific. A full 66 people were killed last year by trains in California, compared to 36 in Florida, the state with the second highest number of rail trespass fatalities, according to Operation Lifesaver.
