Recent Graduate Killed by Train in Wheaton
An 18-year-old was struck and killed by a Union Pacific freight train shortly after leaving church.
Tomassino Offer, 18, died Sunday morning when he was struck by an eastbound Union Pacific freight train in Wheaton, Illinois, a suburb west of Chicago. The incident occurred around 10:30 a.m. shortly after Offer had left St. Michael Catholic Church.
A Metra spokesperson indicated that Offer was attempting to cross the train tracks after a train had already passed. He was reportedly unaware of another train approaching from the opposite direction.
Reverend Santos Castillo of St. Michael Catholic Church stated he spoke with Offer moments before the accident. "I definitely saw him before he left, and he just waved at me, and together with his friend Joe, they were here together, and who would have known that was the last time he'd be in church," Castillo said. Offer, a freshman at Wheaton College, had moved from Michigan to Illinois to play baseball for the college.
Offer was a graduate of Notre Dame Preparatory School in Pontiac, Michigan. The school released a statement mourning his passing, describing him as "an outstanding student and an even better young man" who was "loved by his teachers and classmates." Offer was also a member of his high school's soccer team, with whom he won a state championship, and his baseball team.
A mass was held in Offer's honor on Monday at Saint Lawrence Catholic Church in Utica, Michigan. Wheaton College also held a separate memorial service on Sunday night.
A GoFundMe account was established by St. Lawrence Church, Notre Dame Prep, and Keller Williams Lakeside to support Offer's family. Organizers reported that over $45,000 was raised in the first day. The campaign aims to honor Offer's memory and provide a gesture of community support for his family.