Authorities said the 16-year-old and two others were on the tracks without authorization near the Merritt 7 station.
NORWALK, CT — A 16-year-old Norwalk boy died after he was struck by a Metro-North train on a rail bridge near the Merritt 7 station, while two other people who were on the tracks were detained and charged with trespassing, authorities said.
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority identified the teenager as Jefrey Josue Ordonez. MTA police said the train, traveling from Danbury toward South Norwalk, struck Ordonez shortly after 8 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 5, on a bridge south of the Merritt 7 station. He was taken to Norwalk Hospital, where authorities said he was pronounced dead at 9:39 p.m.
A preliminary investigation found that Ordonez was on the tracks with a 17-year-old boy and a 20-year-old man, according to MTA police. Authorities said none of the three was authorized to be on the tracks. The two others were detained by MTA officers and charged with trespassing. Officials have not publicly identified them.
Norwalk firefighters responded to an area behind Main Avenue, where crews found two people being escorted from the tracks by police, according to Deputy Fire Chief Adam Markowitz. Those two people told first responders that another person was beneath the train. Firefighters then located Ordonez under a rail car between two tracks on a bridge over a river.
The location complicated the emergency response because crews had limited access to the bridge and faced a fall hazard, fire officials said. Responders removed Ordonez from beneath the train, brought him into a passenger rail car and carried him several car lengths before transferring him to equipment that could be used to get him to an ambulance. Markowitz said the removal took about 15 minutes.
About 25 passengers were aboard the train when the collision occurred, according to Metro-North. They were transferred to another train to continue their trips. Authorities reported no injuries to passengers or members of the train crew. Service on the Danbury Branch was temporarily suspended during the emergency response and police investigation and was restored at 11:05 p.m.
The Connecticut Office of the Chief Medical Examiner later ruled Ordonez’s death an accident. The medical examiner determined that he died from injuries caused by the impact. Authorities have not announced any criminal charges beyond the trespassing charges filed against the two other people who were on the tracks.
Ordonez was a student at Norwalk High School. Principal Lynne Moore said he “had a ton of potential” and described his death as a loss for both the school and the wider Norwalk community. School officials said Ordonez had played football on the freshman team and was remembered as friendly, motivated and close to his family and friends.
Assistant Principal Reneé Torres said Ordonez hoped to attend trade school after high school. The city of Norwalk and Norwalk Public Schools also issued a joint statement offering condolences to his family, classmates and others affected by his death. The district said it was working with the family and community providers to make support available to students and staff.
Ordonez’s sister, Angela Bonilla, also organized an online fundraiser to help the family with funeral and memorial expenses. The investigation established that the three people were on the tracks without authorization, according to MTA police, while the medical examiner has classified Ordonez’s death as accidental.
Author note: Last updated August 10, 2026.