Train Death in Elon Ruled Suicide

James Michael Elzar Foreman, 19, a resident of Raleigh and an Enloe High School graduate, was a student at Elon University.

Foreman died after standing on the tracks and looking at the train as it approached but not moving aside, according to the Elon Police Department. They closed the case as a suicide, Capt. Sam Russell said.

Police and EMS staff had been dispatched to the Oak Avenue railroad crossing around 6 p.m. When officers arrived, they discovered Foreman's body in the roadway next to the tracks.

Officers then talked with the train's conductor, Damon Ashby, who said Foreman had been standing on the tracks and looking up at the train. Foreman then turned his back, Ashby told police, and the train was unable to avoid hitting the student.