A bodybuilder struck and killed by a train over the weekend did not tell those with him at the ill-fated video shoot that he would run along the railroad ahead of an oncoming train, police said.
Greg Plitt, a renowned and popular bodybuilder, model, and actor, was killed Saturday afternoon when he was struck by a Metrolink train approaching the Burbank station. He was 37.
"We do know, according to them as the witnesses, that there was never any communication that he was going to run between the rails, that he was going to be running in and or around the tracks," said Burbank Police Officer Joshua Kendrick.
The investigation has made use of two videos — one from the forward-looking camera aboard the train, the other from the camera operator working with Plitt. From the videos, police say it is apparent Plitt saw the train coming, then stepped onto the tracks ahead of it and began running.
The engineer sounded the warning horn, but Plitt did not react.
"At no point did Mr. Plitt trip or fall or anything like that" before the train overtook him, Kendrick said. Why Plitt did not step to the side — whether he miscalculated the closing rate of the train — Kendrick said cannot be known for certain, though police see no evidence of suicide and consider the death accidental.
Plitt was known for posting on his website spectacular videos of his athletic workouts and feats. The West Point graduate and former Army Ranger had a worldwide following. He had recently completed shooting his segments for a Bravo reality program, "Friends to Lovers."
The Saturday shoot, for which no permits were issued, was to have been a promotional video for a sports beverage company with which Plitt had a business relationship, according to police.
Whether Shadow Beverages was aware of the circumstances of the shoot, Kendrick did not know, and the Phoenix-based company did not return a call requesting comment, but did post a statement on the website of its WheyUp brand. "We are saddened by the sudden and tragic loss of our spokesman," the statement reads in part.
The police investigation is not yet complete. A third video, from a company security camera, was being reviewed, but Kendrick said it is not expected to alter the picture of what happened. The coroner's final report, including toxicology results, likely will take several more weeks. Kendrick
dismissed some online reports purporting to know the results as unsubstantiated speculation that did not come from police.
A memorial service is planned for 2 p.m. Saturday at Good Shepherd Catholic Church in Beverly Hills.
