A 22-year-old Boston University graduate was struck and killed by a Green Line trolley traveling eastbound on the D Line early Sunday morning.
School of Management graduate Joshua Stimson of Brighton was found in the gauge of the track between the Longwood and Fenway stops at 12:19 a.m., according to the Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority.
The track where Stimson was hit is fenced in on both sides.
Brookline Police and Fire Department responded to the scene, where EMS personnel determined that Stimson was dead, according to an MBTA statement.
MBTA spokesman Joe Pesaturo said the exact circumstances of Stimson’s death were still unknown.
“Investigators have ruled out any problems with the train or the signals. It remains unclear why he was inside the fence-enclosed Green Line right-of-way. The investigation is ongoing,” Pesaturo said in an email.
“Investigators have interviewed people who were with Mr. Stimson prior to this incident. It’s believed that alcohol may have been a factor.”
People traveling on the T said that they didn’t feel the impact of the accident, but as soon as the train struck Stimson, the driver stopped the trolley and ran out of the vehicle.
The train was carrying about 55 passengers, including several BU students and two staff members of The Daily Free Press.
Upon seeing that the train ran over Stimson, the driver immediately re-boarded the car, announced that the person lying on the tracks could be dead and asked if there were any doctors on board.
While there were no paramedics, one person who said they had a Ph.D volunteered to go with the driver.
T passengers were held for about 30 minutes as an MBTA representative questioned witnesses.
Most passengers were in shock and some were crying.
Kay Loftus, a sophomore in the College of Communication who was on the train at the time of the death, said it was an upsetting experience.
“Suddenly we stopped and the driver ran off the T,” Loftus said. “When he came back on everyone was just shocked, no one knew what to do.”
Loftus said that the passengers weren’t allowed to leave until police had assessed the situation. Police interviewed passengers, particularly those near the front of the car, she said.
“We kind of just sat there,” she said. “Everyone was just pretty quiet.”
Rachel Blumberg, a sophomore in COM, was also on the T at the time of the accident.
“I was sitting towards the front and we were going along and then all of a sudden we came to a stop, it didn’t even feel like emergency brakes or anything,” Blumberg said. “People started getting worried. . .[the driver] was pretty panicked, I’ve never seen anyone so. . . I can’t even describe it.”
Finally, passengers on the T were informed that a man had died.
“Looking at people’s faces everyone was pretty shocked. I was in a state of shock,” Blumberg said. “People had looks of horror on their faces.”
Blumberg said that the passengers were escorted in a single file line down the tracks to the Fenway stop.
Colin Riley, BU spokesman, said that the situation is “incredibly sad.”
“We were notified that a BU recent graduate had been killed by a trolley. . . they notified us because they had some identification,” Riley said. “It’s terrible to get these calls. . . he had so much life ahead of him.”
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