‘Tragic accident’: Train crash victim identified as Wheaton College student, baseball player

The Wheaton community is mourning a college student-athlete who was killed when struck by a train Sunday morning on his way home from church.

The DuPage County coroner has identified the student as Tommasino Offer, 18, of Washington Township, Michigan.

The crash occurred around 10:15 a.m. in downtown Wheaton as Offer was walking across the Union Pacific tracks, Metra officials said.

The teenager had stopped at the tracks for a westbound Union Pacific freight train. Witnesses said it appeared Offer proceeded across the tracks after the westbound train had left and was struck by an eastbound freight train, Metra spokesperson Meg Thomas-Reile said Tuesday.

“The incident remains under investigation but there’s no information at this time indicating that this was any other than a tragic accident,” Thomas-Reile said.

Offer was on Wheaton College’s baseball team, a college spokesperson said.

He had just attended Mass at St. Michael’s Catholic Church in Wheaton when the incident occurred.

“For a short time, Tommy has faithfully worshipped with us usually at the 9 a.m. mass,” St. Michael’s officials said on the church’s Facebook page. The Michigan native “found a spiritual home here at St. Michael’s since he arrived in Wheaton in August.”

The church held a memorial Mass for Offer on Monday and asked people to “pray for the soul of Tommasino” on Facebook.

The crossing was in the area of Main Street and Liberty Drive, authorities said.

marnipyke@dailyherald.com