In another unfortunate event involving the MBTA, a man and a woman were found dead on the tracks of the MBTA’s Red Line near Wollaston Station in the suburbs of Quincy. Officials claimed that a Red Line train driver found the bodies on the tracks. The two people involved in the horrific event have yet to be identified by authorities.
During the Transit Police’s investigation, they deduced that both the individuals intended to place their bodies in between the outside running rail and the electrified rail on purpose. Another investigation, conducted by the MBTA Transit Police and Norfolk’s Dist. Att. Michael Morrissey’s office, continues to take place, and the cause of death has still not been recognized. MBTA spokesperson Joseph Pesaturo stated, “A preliminary investigation indicates that the descendants had not been struck by a train.”
“Speaking on behalf of the Transit Police and the MBTA organization we express our sincerest condolences to family and friends of the decedents,” stated the police. Quincy Police Department also stated that traffic passing through the station would be stopped for about two hours. “This is a limited confined space, and our preliminary investigation suggests both individuals came into contact with the third rail,” stated Richard Sullivan, superintendent of the Transit Police Department.
The Police Department continued, stating, “An adult male and female while trespassing along the right of way between North Quincy and Wollaston Station intentionally placed their bodies between the outside running rail and the third rail.” The third rail is considered to be electrified and carries a charge high enough to be potentially fatal to humans coming into direct contact with it. Electrocution is highly possible if an individual makes direct contact with the electrified rail.
“While the investigation advances, red line service is being replaced by shuttle buses between Quincy Center and JFK/UMass Stations, in both directions,” Joseph Pesaturo said in the statement. While a heavy police presence continued to surround Wollaston Station, commuters waiting to board were successfully onboarded by the buses dispatched to replace the train service between JFK/UMass and Braintree stations.
The commuter rail at JFK/UMass, Quincy Center, and Braintree accommodated the other commuters at around 7 a.m. The Quincy police also stated that the service on the commuter rails would resume as per schedule. Despite the delays, MBTA posted on their Twitter account informing the commuters that the Red Line Braintree branch resumed service as per schedule.
On Monday morning, message boards at Wollaston Station read, “No train service, use the shuttle bus,” at about 7:40 a.m., according to a tweet from Kelly Sullivan, Boston 25 News. Several pictures also showed that yellow crime scene tapes were plastered across the entrance barriers at Wollaston Station, while the investigation was underway.
While the investigation is being handled by the MBTA Transit Police and the Norfolk County DA’s office, both entities have urged any individuals who are in a state of crisis to immediately dial 988. This number is the 24/7 crisis helpline at the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, who connect trained and certified counselors to those seeking help, based on the type of situation that an individual might be experiencing. For now, the entities are working on identifying the victims of the incident and concluding the cause of death. Anticipating more details as the investigation progresses.