Sunset police identify victim in apparent t..

Public safety • Man's death came at height of evening FrontRunner traffic.

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The death of man hit by a FrontRunner passenger train at the height of Monday evening's commute appears to be a clear case of suicide, police say.

Sunset police Chief Ken Eborn said the conductor of the northbound train told investigators that she saw Cristobal Benjamin Espinoza, 22, deliberately lie down on the tracks about 6 p.m. and place his head on one of the rails.

He was struck and instantly killed about 300 yards north of the 2300 North crossing in Sunset, a restricted area that would have required him to climb over a fence, Eborn said.

While the state medical examiner will make the official determination of the cause of death, Eborn said notes Espinoza left behind and unspecified comments he made to his family in Sunset confirmed he was depressed and potentially suicidal prior to the incident.

It took police and UTA officials several hours to clear the scene. Buses were used to transport FrontRunner passengers through the area during the closure.

remims@sltrib.com

Twitter: @remims

Sunset police identify victim in apparent train suicide