South Florida

As young as 17, as old as 84: These are the 196 people killed by Brightline trains

Illustration
Illustration Rachel Handley

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Killer Train

Brightline is the deadliest major passenger railroad in the United States. An investigation by the Miami Herald and WLRN reveals the shocking toll and the failures that led to it.

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Today, the Miami Herald and WLRN publish a memorial list of the 196 people struck and killed by Brightline trains in Florida since 2017 — to honor their lives, raise awareness about the deadly Brightline corridor and spark conversations about how public safety can be improved.

Their lives ended suddenly, and often without recognition. Some were mocked or derided in social media posts and online commentary.

Their families are hurting. So are the train crews.

Over the course of a year, the Herald and WLRN, South Florida’s NPR member station, investigated the reasons why the Brightline passenger rail system is America’s deadliest. We reviewed the circumstances of each death, in police files and autopsy reports, to understand why so many people are dying — one every 13 days, on average.

That year of reporting produced the first comprehensive accounting of Brightline deaths — and the names of those who died.

All but 26 were on foot or bicycle. More than half were walking across the tracks where there are no gates or bells, and usually, no fences.

The Brightline corridor still lacks protections that could prevent deaths. Some safety improvements are coming, funded largely by taxpayers with help from Brightline.

The memorial roster begins with 18-year-old Madison “Maddie” Brunelle, who was struck by a Brightline train on a test run in 2017. The list concludes with the Dec. 21 death of 63-year-old John Joseph Aulenti in Dania Beach.

The death toll continues to climb.

Illustration by Rachel Handley

Documenting the dead

Since 2017, Brightline trains have struck and killed 196 people. These are their names.

Madison Brunelle, 18

Jul 24, 2017

Jennifer Reed, 35

Nov 1, 2017

Melissa Lavell, 32

Jan 12, 2018

Jeffrey King, 51

Jan 17, 2018

John Nitz, 56

Mar 11, 2018

Douglas Scott Updike Jr., 34

Apr 8, 2018

Christopher Bailey, 46

Jun 1, 2018

Luke Sherrill, 29

Jun 20, 2018

Calvin Owens Easterly, 34

Aug 18, 2018

Paul Benito J. Sandoval, 36

Sep 14, 2018

Chedeline Corrielant Fleurimond, 26

Nov 3, 2018

Dennis Lee Conrad, 67

Nov 23, 2018

Frederik Anthony Vaniersel, 60

Dec 6, 2018

David Ulmer, 39

Dec 13, 2018

Andres Israel Rodriguez Oliva, 36

Jan 1, 2019

Nelson Esquivel, 30

Jan 14, 2019

Carter Philip McDonald, 59

Jan 23, 2019

Dereck Edwards, 55

Jan 31, 2019

Lauren Chelsea Senechal, 23

Feb 13, 2019

Marcos Vidal, 43

Mar 7, 2019

Therese Pierre Jules, 48

Mar 20, 2019

Donald William Krinkie, 74

Apr 12, 2019

Felicia Denise McKenzie, 38

May 12, 2019

Princess D. Davis, 31

May 18, 2019

Cody Ronald Camp, 17

Jun 3, 2019

Kevin Puryear, 59

Jun 10, 2019

Orlando Rivera Agosto, 57

Jun 16, 2019

Brandon Brown, 24

Jul 25, 2019

David Lopez, 31

Jul 29, 2019

Patricia Wassuta, 64

Aug 10, 2019

Robert Ballard, 56

Aug 20, 2019

Wisly Isma, 46

Aug 25, 2019

Gregory Eugene Williams, 60

Aug 29, 2019

Andria Dawn Montoya, 37

Sep 5, 2019

Paul Smith, 47

Sep 6, 2019

Clivet Alberto Romero, 46

Sep 12, 2019

Joseph Lawrence Kartheiser, 57

Sep 24, 2019

Mollie Ann Herrera, 37

Oct 13, 2019

Joseph Philippe, 47

Nov 2, 2019

Rodney Keyon Cox Jr., 19

Nov 13, 2019

Veronica Martinez Vorano, 54

Nov 15, 2019

Desmond L. Dwyer, 58

Dec 4, 2019

Jose A. Roibal, 55

Dec 20, 2019

Derek Chandras, 30

Jan 1, 2020

James Ratliff, 50

Jan 21, 2020

Mary Delancy, 58

Jan 27, 2020

Willie Mitchell, 38

Feb 18, 2020

Alexis Marion, 17

Feb 24, 2020

Henrisha Victoria France Donjoie, 21

Mar 17, 2020

Ricardo Printemps, 30

Jul 21, 2021

Kimberly Rae Haase, 40

Nov 23, 2021

Darran J. Wilson, 36

Dec 2, 2021

Carmen Pellegrino, 64

Dec 7, 2021

Luke Naumiuk, 25

Dec 11, 2021

Carolyn Carswell Robinson, 73

Dec 13, 2021

Juan Levit Silva Pedraza, 19

Dec 17, 2021

Marc Charleus, 68

Dec 30, 2021

Veronique Charleus, 58

Dec 30, 2021

Wilfredo Monge, 33

Jan 4, 2022

Jerry Santomaso, 66

Jan 27, 2022

Hidegalde Perez, 48

Feb 13, 2022

Demitre Ramos, 19

Feb 15, 2022

David J. Moeller, 34

Feb 19, 2022

Manuel Fama, 42

Mar 12, 2022

Jean Sonel, 42

Mar 26, 2022

Whitnie Laura Walker, 43

Apr 13, 2022

Jacob Bresnahan, 27

May 2, 2022

Maher Soua, 52

May 3, 2022

Deanna Joyce Burton-Lyons, 54

May 7, 2022

Annmargret Garbato, 39

May 31, 2022

Liesel Hulden, 84

Jun 7, 2022

Jordan Elijah Abiera Sinsuat, 39

Jun 22, 2022

Robert Michael Carman, 58

Jul 7, 2022

Gabriel Quiros, 47

Aug 2, 2022

Rodney King Bondanella, 67

Aug 7, 2022

Lee Meyers, 52

Aug 9, 2022

Raymond Arnold, 61

Aug 24, 2022

Stephen John Jankowiak, 47

Sep 2, 2022

Harold Alexander Krumin, 53

Sep 19, 2022

Addison Dajonjamal Jones, 35

Oct 1, 2022

Jon Alexander, 64

Oct 3, 2022

Hanna Dudnik, 43

Oct 7, 2022

Hector Bonilla Ramos, 37

Oct 19, 2022

James Mark Ostrowski, 74

Oct 25, 2022

Michael Sullivan, 43

Oct 27, 2022

James Mitchell, 64

Nov 21, 2022

Layfun Moore Jr, 36

Dec 9, 2022

Kristo David Leon, 36

Dec 11, 2022

Gery Edmond, 52

Dec 27, 2022

Ethan Azuz, 36

Dec 27, 2022

Mary Ann Dubose, 62

Jan 1, 2023

Ryan Edward Reusch, 44

Jan 9, 2023

Krystal Nicole Boulton, 38

Jan 21, 2023

Chad Allan Ward, 41

Feb 7, 2023

Arthur Seth Jacobson, 82

Feb 8, 2023

Bette Jacobson, 77

Feb 8, 2023

Elias D Martinez, 30

Mar 14, 2023

Derek Allyn Cheesman, 47

Apr 27, 2023

Ryan Mafia Filsaime, 29

May 12, 2023

Jonatan Alexand Cabrera-Grande, 37

May 14, 2023

Tracy Beth Lauren, 47

May 21, 2023

Dyanna Marie Fernandez, 29

Jun 2, 2023

Jeffrey Balsewich, 50

Jun 5, 2023

Hansel Fardi Vera Pinto, 31

Jul 23, 2023

James Bennet Hence III, 29

Sep 3, 2023

Rachael Beth Holmes, 50

Sep 22, 2023

Braden Rider Meyer, 25

Sep 28, 2023

Demetrius Wilder, 44

Oct 6, 2023

Lisa Marie Molnar, 60

Oct 19, 2023

Joseph Francois, 66

Oct 30, 2023

Danny S. Black, 55

Nov 11, 2023

James Hawthorne Jr, 60

Nov 22, 2023

Gary Millar, 69

Dec 19, 2023

Katherine Alexa Stimus, 36

Dec 24, 2023

Charles Julian Phillips, 62

Jan 10, 2024

Lisa Ann Batchelder, 52

Jan 12, 2024

Michael Anthony Degasperi, 54

Jan 12, 2024

Wesley Ducheneaux, 29

Jan 29, 2024

Melissa Ordonez, 42

Jan 30, 2024

Kevin Lopez-Gabriel, 35

Feb 3, 2024

Mark Louis Segretto, 33

Feb 8, 2024

Judesse Simeon, 53

Feb 9, 2024

Devante Lee Cylla, 28

Feb 16, 2024

Emily Alexandra Kayser, 35

Feb 16, 2024

Elisa Elvira Paris Casanova, 53

Mar 5, 2024

Juan Castillo, 56

Mar 8, 2024

Maikel Mendoza Ramirez, 42

Mar 13, 2024

Mark Harrison, 60

Apr 1, 2024

Jeffrey Vasche, 69

Apr 14, 2024

Randy Lawrence Johanson, 62

Apr 18, 2024

Drew Harrison Epstein, 30

May 5, 2024

Cheryl Townsend, 56

May 5, 2024

Richard Schmidt, 36

May 11, 2024

Judith Taina Rosa, 22

May 14, 2024

Zinatosadat Moinzadeh, 74

May 18, 2024

Jordyn Anthony Kruzel, 25

May 26, 2024

Ralph Peter Ierardi Jr., 28

May 31, 2024

Edilmiro Cordero, 66

Jun 1, 2024

Christopher Drew Cannon, 57

Jun 2, 2024

Leroy Allen Perry, 67

Jun 12, 2024

Camuler Taniclas, 71

Jun 18, 2024

Connor Jack Mahoney, 19

Jul 5, 2024

Scott Sullivan Spurgeon, 45

Jul 8, 2024

Jordan Croom, 26

Jul 13, 2024

James Alan Bonin, 65

Jul 18, 2024

Abby Mae Reid, 27

Jul 31, 2024

Raul Ruiz, 65

Aug 7, 2024

Duane Stuart Matheson, 68

Aug 8, 2024

Marshall Malcolm, 25

Aug 11, 2024

Edenilson Misael Gabriel Salvador, 26

Aug 17, 2024

Eric P. Geller, 77

Aug 26, 2024

Brett Philip Tucker, 56

Sep 9, 2024

Wilson Whitney Locke, 68

Sep 27, 2024

Ashton Cole Godwin, 20

Oct 3, 2024

Luxio Remiro Chacon, 56

Oct 4, 2024

Jan Gershkoff, 74

Oct 25, 2024

Kevin Sookoo, 26

Nov 2, 2024

Ramon Ernesto Hernandez, 36

Nov 19, 2024

Robyn Peress, 59

Nov 26, 2024

Bryan De Paz Vazquez, 25

Dec 10, 2024

Amelise Renoir Noel, 60

Dec 26, 2024

Albert Williams, 49

Dec 27, 2024

Susan Chong, 69

Dec 30, 2024

Duke Allen Holeman, 67

Jan 4, 2025

Jason Kelly Lloyd, 46

Jan 13, 2025

Nathan Joseph Adderly, 60

Jan 15, 2025

Joann DePina, 49

Jan 16, 2025

Rene Andres Mulero Russe, 27

Jan 31, 2025

Jorge Miguel Rivera Cedillo, 23

Feb 8, 2025

Lorenzo F. Ordonez Sanchez, 40

Feb 8, 2025

Eric Miguel Wolf, 43

Mar 13, 2025

Christy Mateluna, 41

Mar 18, 2025

Alex Gomez Lenis, 30

Mar 22, 2025

Timothy Matthew Elliott, 42

Mar 25, 2025

Kevin Douglas Johnson, 33

Mar 27, 2025

Atilon Andy Thomas, 23

May 14, 2025

Eric Christopher Daniels, 55

May 29, 2025

Valerie Lynn Murguia, 65

Jun 3, 2025

Dennis James Pollard, 69

Jun 4, 2025

Dawinyn Salomon Lopez Jarquin, 36

Jun 8, 2025

Charles Lasala, 70

Jul 3, 2025

Joshua Lawrence Tanner, 26

Jul 6, 2025

Mark Joseph Jurewicz, 62

Jul 14, 2025

Alejandro Daniel Itkin, 58

Jul 24, 2025

Kuen J. McGlauflin , 21

Aug 10, 2025

Holly Lorraine Eckert, 57

Sep 2, 2025

Marco Burgos, 57

Sep 6, 2025

Eleanora Mitchell, 83

Sep 12, 2025

Brian David Baker, 63

Oct 22, 2025

Oleksandr Nimashchuk, 23

Oct 26, 2025

Steve Daniel Collier, 62

Nov 3, 2025

Jacob Patrick Weaver, 26

Nov 2, 2025

David Cajigas, 54

Nov 6, 2025

Andre Darnell Burgess, 40

Nov 10, 2025

Alexis Natanael Villatoro Gaspar, 30

Dec 15, 2025

John Joseph Aulenti, 63

Dec 21, 2025

NOTE: We’ve used name spellings and ages derived straight from official documents. Dates reflect when the accident occurred, not necessarily the date the person died. If you see a mistake, please let us know so we can correct it. Email us at bwallman@miamiherald.com.

How the Miami Herald and WLRN found Brightline’s death toll

A team of reporters from the Miami Herald and WLRN spent over a year documenting every death involving Brightline trains since the rail line’s launch seven years ago. Drawing on autopsy reports and local law enforcement records, reporters discovered that 196 people — so far — have been killed by the fast-speed train.

The team of reporters analyzed federal railroad data, reviewed federal safety studies, consulted experts and reviewed hundreds of pages of medical examiner and police incident reports to better understand the factors that contributed to each death and to compare Brightline’s safety record against other railroads nationwide.

Read the full methodology here. This methodology was published alongside the first story in the Killer Train series in July. At that time, the Herald and WLRN had identified 182 deaths related to Brightline trains.

Credits
Brittany Wallman | Investigative Reporter Aaron Leibowitz | Local Government Reporter Daniel Rivero | Investigative Reporter, WLRN Joshua Ceballos | Local Government Accountability Reporter, WLRN Shradha Dinesh | Data Journalist Allison Beck | Intern, Ida B. Wells Society Susan Merriam | Data/Visual Journalist David Newcomb | Director of Editorial Project Experiences Sohail Al-Jamea | 3-D Modeling, Animation and Video Journalist Rachel Handley | Visual Journalist Matias J. Ocner | Photo Journalist David Santiago | Photo Editor John Parkhurst | Copy Editor Carolina Zamora | Audience & EngagementKevin Scott | Audience & EngagementAdrian Ruhi | Audience Development EditorDenise Royal | Senior Producer, WLRN Jessica Bakeman | Director of Enterprise Journalism, WLRN Jessica Lipscomb | City Editor Trish Wilson Belli | Investigations Editor
Support

The Fund for Investigative Journalism provided support for this series.

Brittany Wallman
Miami Herald
Brittany Wallman joined the Miami Herald in 2023 as an investigative journalist. She has been a reporter in South Florida for 25 years, and shared in the South Florida Sun Sentinel’s 2019 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service, for coverage of the Parkland school shooting. She grew up in Iowa and Oklahoma. Brittany is a graduate of the University of Florida.
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Killer Train

Brightline is the deadliest major passenger railroad in the United States. An investigation by the Miami Herald and WLRN reveals the shocking toll and the failures that led to it.