But Boca Raton Police Department’s Crisis Team Calms Situation.
BY: ANDREW COLTON | Editor and Publisher
BOCA RATON, FL (BocaNewsNow.com) (Copyright © 2024 MetroDesk Media, LLC) — A car apparently slammed into a Brightline train Saturday night in Boca Raton in a failed suicide attempt by either the driver or occupant of the vehicle. The suicidal person then ran to a nearby building — climbed to the roof — and threatened to jump.
“Officers located the second occupant of the vehicle who appeared to be suicidal,” said a Boca Raton Police spokesperson to BocaNewsNow.com. “Our Boca Raton Police Crisis Negotiators responded and shortly before 1:00 a.m., the occupant was taken into custody under the Baker Act. He was transported to an area hospital. The accident remains under investigation.”
The incident started just before 7 p.m. when a vehicle and a northbound Brightline train collided in the area of Camino Real and Dixie Highway — not far from the Boca Raton Brightline station.
Boca Raton Police and Boca Raton Fire Rescue responded to the scene and determined two people were injured. One was extricated from the vehicle. The second person apparently fled and climbed a nearby building — threatening to jump. Palm Beach County’s Trauma Hawk helicopter was placed on standby, but was eventually canceled.
Multiple passengers on the train texted BocaNewsNow.com with updates throughout the night. They uniformly reported that Brightline employees told passengers nothing and, “became annoyed when passengers asked questions.”
“It appears no one on the train was injured,” wrote a passenger. “But they’re not letting us go anywhere the train is being held.”
But another passenger disputes those claims, saying that — at least in the car where he sat — the conductor provided frequent updates and that Brightline offered Uber service for passengers wishing to ride to West Palm Beach.
Boca Raton Police eventually talked the suicidal person down from the building more than five hours after the initial impact. The train was released several hours after the incident. An investigation continues.
