Man steps in front of Metra train, dies, after suicide threat

A Stickney man was killed after stepping in front of a Metra train March 7 in west suburban Riverside.

Arthur C. Smith IV, 49, was taken to MacNeal Hospital in Berwyn on Feb. 25 after the Lyons Village Police Department responded to a report of a distraught person on Ogden Avenue. Smith told police and paramedics that he wanted to kill himself by jumping in front of a train, according to the Riverside Police Department.

Smith was released from the hospital about 1:30 p.m. on March 7. About 2:50 p.m., he stepped in front of a Metra train at the train depot near Longman Crossing, police said.

The conductor of the train saw Smith step out onto the tracks but was unable to stop, Riverside police Chief Tom Weitzel said.

Smith was pronounced dead at the scene. A suicide note was recovered, police said.

A 16-year-old Naperville boy was injured by debris from the incident when he was struck by a rock. He was treated for minor injuries on the scene and released, police said.

The Riverside police detective unit and the Cook County Medical Examiner’s office were still investigating. Some train traffic has resumed moving through the area while the investigation continues, police said.