High Schooler ID’d as Victim of Fatal Train Strike

UPDATED: Tuesday, 8:17 p.m.:

Students at Bucks County Technical High School, where Moscatel was slated to return for his senior year, were alerted of the death Tuesday via phone. Kevin Gentilcore, ‎supervisor of pupil services, said students are a asked to contact the school if they would like to discuss their peer’s death. Guidance counselors will be available for students.

“By all accounts she was a wonderful student and a wonderful young lady,” Gentilcore said.

Original Post:

A teenager about to enter his senior year at Bucks County Technical High School was identified Tuesday as the victim of Monday’s fatal train verse pedestrian incident.

Jessica Moscatel, 17, of Bristol Township’s Croydon section, was identified by officials as the person fatally struck by an Amtrak train heading to New York City around 1:30 p.m. Monday. Moscatel, according to two friends, was also known as Riley Matthew Moscatel and identified as a male.

Bucks County Coroner Dr. Joesph Campbell said his office is awaiting dental records to confirm Moscatel was the victim, but he did say the 17-year-old, who is legally a female, was reported missing by family prior to the fatal incident. The death is being ruled a suicide.

Moscatel’s girlfriend, Kate Cimino told LevittownNow.com the 17-year-old faced certain “troubles” that she suspects caused the Croydon resident to make the decision on Monday to end his young life.

According to police, the train operator reported that he struck a person in the area of the Croydon station. The multi-car train finally came to a stop about a mile down the tracks and police were called.

Campbell said the investigation has shown the train was traveling at close to 120 MPH when the strike happened.

Amtrak spokesperson Kimberly Woods said the train – identified as Keystone 648 – had 85 passengers on board. The transit agency’s Keystone service travels between  New York City and Harrisburg by way of Philadelphia.

SEPTA and Amtrak service was suspended for several hours while local and federal investigators combed the area, took notes about the scene and collected debris.

Cimino said she hopes others having thoughts of suicide seek help.

“There has to be a better way,” she said. “There has to be a way other than suicide.”

A gathering of Moscatel’s friends will take place around 1 p.m. Sunday at the Croydon SEPTA station, according to Cimino.

For information on suicide prevention services in Bucks County for teens, please click here.

Editor’s Note: Upon further staff discussion and research, pronouns describing the identified sex of the victim have been updated. LevittownNow.com has updated the story to reflect the latest Associated Press Style.