Update: Socorro Police Say Teen Killed By Train Wasn’t Listening To Music When Hit

A 14-year-old was struck and and killed by a train near the intersection of Bauman and Isabela in Socorro late Monday afternoon.

It happened just after 5 p.m. Socorro police identified the teenager as Justin Alcantar. He was an eighth grader at Ernesto Serna School.

“I just can’t believe he’s gone,” said Jesse Espino. Espino played baseball with Alcantar and offered to give him a ride home from school. “He just told me not to worry about it, so I told him to be safe.”

Investigators said Alcantar was bouncing a basketball on the train tracks with his back to a westbound train when he was hit by the train. Witnesses told police they heard the train sound its horn several times.

Police said apparently the teen did not see nor hear the train approaching at a reported appropriate speed, and failed to get off the track before the engineer lost sight of Alcantar and he was struck and killed by the Union Pacific train headed west towards El Paso.

A witness told ABC-7 that they thought Alcantar was listening to his iPod when he was struck, but Socorro police said early indications are Alcantar’s music player and head set were wrapped up in his pocket. He becomes the first rail road death in Socorro this year.

At this time in the investigation no charges are expected to be filed in the incident.