Local
Wheaton College freshman Tommy Offer killed in train collision on Main Street
Tomassino “Tommy” Offer, an 18-year-old freshman and baseball player at Wheaton College, died Sunday after being struck by an eastbound freight train in Wheaton. Metra said the circumstances remained under investigation Tuesday, with no indication the collision was anything other than an accident.
WHEATON, Ill. — Tomassino “Tommy” Offer, an 18-year-old Wheaton College student and member of its baseball team, died Sunday after being struck by a freight train on Main Street, officials said.
Metra said Offer stopped at the tracks for a westbound Union Pacific freight train. Witnesses reported that after it passed through the crossing, Offer began crossing the tracks and was struck by an eastbound freight train, a Metra spokesperson said.
The collision was still under investigation Tuesday. Officials said they had no information indicating it was anything other than a tragic accident.
Offer was a freshman on Wheaton College’s Thunder baseball team. Coach Matt Husted said the team was grieving with Offer’s family and friends, remembering him as joyful, competitive and attentive to others. Husted said Offer had built connections across the campus community beyond baseball.