Riverside boy crossing tracks is killed by a Metrolink train

A 14-year-old student was struck and killed by a Metrolink train Wednesday morning as he walked to Arlington High School in Riverside, police said.

Samuel Sung Jae Shin was heading south on Jackson Street at 7:44 a.m. when he came to a railroad crossing with the arms down and bells ringing, authorities said. The teen let a westbound train pass and began crossing the tracks when an eastbound train struck and killed him instantly.

Metrolink spokesman Francisco Oaxaca said the train engineer blew the horn when he saw the boy in his path.

“He applied maximum braking power and sounded the horn numerous additional times, but he was too close to the crossing to stop,” Oaxaca said. “Everything was working properly. The gates were down, the bells were ringing.”

The train stopped after the accident while investigators and school officials converged on the scene. It was released about two hours later.

Riverside Unified School District psychologists were sent to Arlington High to speak with students struggling with the death.

Counselors also went to Hawthorne Elementary School, where a number of students witnessed the aftermath of the accident on their way to school, said Jacqui Paul, a school district communications and public relations specialist.

“This is a terrible and tragic loss to the Arlington family and our thoughts go out to this young man’s family,” Principal Antonio Garcia said. “While we will not know exactly what happened until the police investigation is complete, I would like to emphasize the importance of exercising extreme caution while walking near railroad tracks in our city.”

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david.kelly@latimes.com