His mother opened up about the devastating loss and the moments leading up to it. John DeReggi was smiling and posing for a series of photos with his girlfriend and her twin sister when everything changed in an instant. What started as a fun afternoon ended in tragedy. The three 16-year-olds were working on a school photography class project in September 2015, heading out to the quiet railroad tracks in rural Maryland to capture their shots.
While there, John was playfully balancing and dancing along the steel rails, sharing laughs with his girlfriend, as her twin sister snapped pictures. None of them could have imagined what was about to happen next.
The idea behind their assignment was to take meaningful and inspiring photographs with the theme “youth and the pathway yet to come.” It was meant to be a reflection of life’s journey and their own bright futures. But as they were busy on the tracks, an Amtrak train suddenly appeared in the distance, racing toward them at more than 70 miles per hour. The speed and force caught all three of them off guard.
The powerful gust of wind from the approaching train pushed the two girls back just enough to avoid it, but John was not as fortunate. As he tried to leap out of harm’s way, the massive 200-ton locomotive struck him, ending his life instantly. John DeReggi and his girlfriend were posing for pictures prior to his deathABC News
“He loved a thrill.” John’s mom, Christine DeReggi, told ABC News. “He wasn’t reckless but he definitely loved adventure. He loved to laugh. He loved to be a little bit scared.” Christine first learned about her son’s death when she received a frantic call from his girlfriend, who had just watched the horrifying moment unfold before her eyes.
Speaking about her son’s girlfriend and her twin sister, Christine explained: “They just escaped. I mean, it was almost a triple tragedy… they saw it and it happened so quick they almost got sucked in. That’s how close they were.”
“The train apparently is much wider than the tracks and I don’t know how far he jumped to try and clear it but he didn’t clear it.” The 16-year-old tragically lost his life in September 2015WUSA9 The grieving mother also shared: “The moments before my son died are beautiful. He’s at peace and he’s happy. You can see it’s just them doing a sweet project together.”
She was referring to the heartfelt and innocent photos the three teens took together, capturing John’s last moments before the accident. Tragically, this was not the first time the community had seen such a loss. Just four years earlier, three other teenagers died in a similar train-related incident. His mom called his last moments ‘beautiful’ABC News
In 2011, 13-year-old Savannah Webster decided to spend time with her older sister, Kelsea, 15, who was hanging out with her friend Essa Ricker, also 15, near the Covered Bridge Canyon train crossing in Utah’s Spanish Fork Canyon. The three friends reportedly planned to take a striking photo as a train sped past them on the tracks. What they didn’t realize was that a second train was coming toward them from the opposite direction.
One chilling image from that day shows the three girls posing for a selfie just a few steps away from the rails. Unfortunately, it was not far enough, and the oncoming train traveling at around 39 miles per hour — hit them, taking their lives in an instant.
