San Lorenzo Teen Plays “Chicken,” Killed by Train

A teenage boy was killed by an Amtrak train in San Lorenzo after the Alameda County Sheriff's Office said he was playing "chicken" with two friends before he was struck on Thursday evening.

On Friday, the Alameda County Coroner's Office identified the boy as 15-year-old Austin Christopher Price.

"He was a sweet young man," San Lorenzo High School Principal Tovi Scruggs said. "He got really good grades. He was well loved."

His school friends were mourning him, and a memorial was growing on Friday by the train tracks where he died. Friends also placed a memorial in front of his locker.

Alameda County sheriff's spokeswoman April Luckett said the death occurred just before 7 p.m. when the boy was on the tracks off Lewelling Boulevard near San Lorenzo High School.

The other boys were not injured.

"Kids should not be on the train tracks," Luckett said. "They should not be used as a shortcut home. This is a very sad incident."

The train was traveling from San Jose to Sacramento when the accident happened near San Lorenzo. None of the passengers or crew members on board were injured, although it was stopped for nearly two hours while the investigation was under way and so a replacement crew could be brought in. 

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