The three 16-year-olds were working on a school photography class project in September 2015, heading out to the quiet railroad tracks in rural Maryland to capture their shots.
While there, John was playfully balancing and dancing along the steel rails, sharing laughs with his girlfriend, as her twin sister snapped pictures. None of them could have imagined what was about to happen next.
But as they were busy on the tracks, an Amtrak train suddenly appeared in the distance, racing toward them at more than 70 miles per hour. The speed and force caught all three of them off guard.
The powerful gust of wind from the approaching train pushed the two girls back just enough to avoid it, but John was not as fortunate. As he tried to leap out of harm’s way, the massive 200-ton locomotive struck him, ending his life instantly.
Christine first learned about her son’s death when she received a frantic call from his girlfriend, who had just watched the horrifying moment unfold before her eyes.
“The train apparently is much wider than the tracks and I don’t know how far he jumped to try and clear it but he didn’t clear it.”
She was referring to the heartfelt and innocent photos the three teens took together, capturing John’s last moments before the accident.
Tragically, this was not the first time the community had seen such a loss. Just four years earlier, three other teenagers died in a similar train-related incident.
The three friends reportedly planned to take a striking photo as a train sped past them on the tracks. What they didn’t realize was that a second train was coming toward them from the opposite direction.
One chilling image from that day shows the three girls posing for a selfie just a few steps away from the rails. Unfortunately, it was not far enough, and the oncoming train traveling at around 39 miles per hour — hit them, taking their lives in an instant.
