What began as a creative school project ended in tragedy when 16-year-old John DeReggi was struck and killed by an Amtrak train in rural Maryland in September 2015.
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Publish Your Story Today Powered by 24-7PressRelease®John was posing for photos with his girlfriend and her twin sister on railroad tracks as part of a photography class assignment. The theme of the project was “youth and the pathway yet to come.” The trio took turns photographing one another as John walked and danced along the steel rails.
Train Approached at High Speed
According to investigators, an Amtrak train approached the group at more than 70 mph. The wind force from the oncoming train pushed the two girls back, but John could not get clear of the tracks in time. The train, far wider than the rails themselves, struck him moments after he tried to jump away.
“He loved a thrill,” John’s mother, Christine DeReggi, told ABC News. “He wasn’t reckless but he definitely loved adventure. He loved to laugh. He loved to be a little bit scared.”
Christine said her son’s girlfriend called her screaming to break the news, having witnessed the accident alongside her sister. “They just escaped. I mean, it was almost a triple tragedy,” she said. “That’s how close they were.”
Final Images Show a Peaceful Moment
Christine described the last photos of her son as bittersweet. “The moments before my son died are beautiful. He’s at peace and he’s happy. You can see it’s just them doing a sweet project together.”
The images captured in the minutes before the crash now serve as the family’s final memory of John alive.
Not the First Tragedy on Train Tracks
John’s death echoes a similar tragedy in 2011, when three Utah teens—Savannah Webster, 13, her sister Kelsea, 15, and friend Essa Ricker, 15—were killed on train tracks in Spanish Fork Canyon. They were taking selfies near the tracks, unaware that a second train was approaching from behind. The train struck them at an estimated 39 mph.
Authorities and rail safety groups warn that train tracks are active, dangerous zones and should never be used for photoshoots or recreation. “Trains can’t stop quickly, and they’re often much wider than the rails,” safety experts caution. “Even standing close to the tracks can be fatal.”
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