{"id":24310,"date":"2025-08-15T00:59:05","date_gmt":"2025-08-15T00:59:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/?p=24310"},"modified":"2025-08-15T00:59:05","modified_gmt":"2025-08-15T00:59:05","slug":"photo-taken-just-moments-before-boy-16-was-killed-in-front-of-girlfriend-and-sister","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/?p=24310","title":{"rendered":"Photo taken just moments before boy, 16, was killed in front of girlfriend and sister"},"content":{"rendered":"<header class=\"article-header_header__gD613\">\n<div class=\"article-header_meta__N4zeN\">\n<h2 class=\"summary_summary__q_VAA\">His mom spoke out about the tragic loss<\/h2>\n<div class=\"article-header_metaWrapper__P4a1g\">\n<div class=\"article-header_shareLink__FtU9x\">\n<div class=\"share-link_container__q9th7\">\n<div class=\"share-link_desktopTabletShareArrowWrapper__Gchyi\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"share live post\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"content-template_body__RWRhb\">\n<div>\n<p class=\"text_text__nEn66\"><strong>John DeReggi was posing for pictures with his girlfriend and her twin sister when tragedy struck.<\/strong><\/p><div class=\"mpwho69ff4fd4d4fd1\" ><div style=\"width:100%; max-width:1200px; margin:0 auto;\">\n  <a href=\"https:\/\/bolt-casino.com?r=0BFDBF1283\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\n    <img \n      src=\"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/f8693ebb-2018-480f-a2f7-0096810c07f0.jpg\" \n      alt=\"200% Deposit Bonus + 10% Cashback\" \n      style=\"width:100%; height:auto; display:block; border-radius:8px; cursor:pointer;\"\n    \/>\n  <\/a>\n<\/div><\/div><style type=\"text\/css\">\r\n@media screen and (min-width: 1201px) {\r\n.mpwho69ff4fd4d4fd1 {\r\ndisplay: block;\r\n}\r\n}\r\n@media screen and (min-width: 993px) and (max-width: 1200px) {\r\n.mpwho69ff4fd4d4fd1 {\r\ndisplay: block;\r\n}\r\n}\r\n@media screen and (min-width: 769px) and (max-width: 992px) {\r\n.mpwho69ff4fd4d4fd1 {\r\ndisplay: block;\r\n}\r\n}\r\n@media screen and (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 768px) {\r\n.mpwho69ff4fd4d4fd1 {\r\ndisplay: block;\r\n}\r\n}\r\n@media screen and (max-width: 767px) {\r\n.mpwho69ff4fd4d4fd1 {\r\ndisplay: block;\r\n}\r\n}\r\n<\/style>\r\n\n<p class=\"text_text__nEn66\">The 16-year-olds were taking part in a\u00a0photography\u00a0class project and visited railroad tracks in rural Maryland for their photoshoot in September 2015.<\/p>\n<p class=\"text_text__nEn66\">It was here that John was fooling around for the camera with his partner and dancing on the empty steel rails, while her sister was taking pictures.<\/p>\n<p class=\"text_text__nEn66\">The idea of the project was to take inspirational photos with the theme being &#8216;youth and the pathway yet to come&#8217;.<\/p>\n<p class=\"text_text__nEn66\">However, while the trio were on the tracks, an Amtrak\u00a0train\u00a0came hurtling towards them at speeds upwards of 70mph &#8211; much to the surprise of John and the twin sisters.<\/p>\n<p class=\"text_text__nEn66\">The wind from the train forced the two girls back but the 200-ton locomotive crushed John as he tried to jump out of the way.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-image_articleImage__eyzAn\">\n<div class=\"article-image_imageWrapper__ANtPE\">\n<div class=\"resizable-image_wrapper__LRQlr\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"article-image_image__XvzgU resizable-image_lowRes__5OkaL resizable-image_fadeOut___ZcLy\" src=\"https:\/\/images.ladbible.com\/resize?type=webp&amp;quality=1&amp;width=3840&amp;fit=contain&amp;gravity=auto&amp;url=https:\/\/images.ladbiblegroup.com\/v3\/assets\/blt949ea8e16e463049\/bltc2c6c25499da0ca6\/689878685d4cf3eb4bfea9ca\/dereggi.png\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 430px) 33vw, (max-width: 768px) 50vw, (max-width: 1024px) 50vw, 33vw\" srcset=\"https:\/\/images.ladbible.com\/resize?type=webp&amp;quality=1&amp;width=256&amp;fit=contain&amp;gravity=auto&amp;url=https:\/\/images.ladbiblegroup.com\/v3\/assets\/blt949ea8e16e463049\/bltc2c6c25499da0ca6\/689878685d4cf3eb4bfea9ca\/dereggi.png 256w, https:\/\/images.ladbible.com\/resize?type=webp&amp;quality=1&amp;width=384&amp;fit=contain&amp;gravity=auto&amp;url=https:\/\/images.ladbiblegroup.com\/v3\/assets\/blt949ea8e16e463049\/bltc2c6c25499da0ca6\/689878685d4cf3eb4bfea9ca\/dereggi.png 384w, https:\/\/images.ladbible.com\/resize?type=webp&amp;quality=1&amp;width=640&amp;fit=contain&amp;gravity=auto&amp;url=https:\/\/images.ladbiblegroup.com\/v3\/assets\/blt949ea8e16e463049\/bltc2c6c25499da0ca6\/689878685d4cf3eb4bfea9ca\/dereggi.png 640w, https:\/\/images.ladbible.com\/resize?type=webp&amp;quality=1&amp;width=750&amp;fit=contain&amp;gravity=auto&amp;url=https:\/\/images.ladbiblegroup.com\/v3\/assets\/blt949ea8e16e463049\/bltc2c6c25499da0ca6\/689878685d4cf3eb4bfea9ca\/dereggi.png 750w, https:\/\/images.ladbible.com\/resize?type=webp&amp;quality=1&amp;width=828&amp;fit=contain&amp;gravity=auto&amp;url=https:\/\/images.ladbiblegroup.com\/v3\/assets\/blt949ea8e16e463049\/bltc2c6c25499da0ca6\/689878685d4cf3eb4bfea9ca\/dereggi.png 828w, https:\/\/images.ladbible.com\/resize?type=webp&amp;quality=1&amp;width=1080&amp;fit=contain&amp;gravity=auto&amp;url=https:\/\/images.ladbiblegroup.com\/v3\/assets\/blt949ea8e16e463049\/bltc2c6c25499da0ca6\/689878685d4cf3eb4bfea9ca\/dereggi.png 1080w, https:\/\/images.ladbible.com\/resize?type=webp&amp;quality=1&amp;width=1200&amp;fit=contain&amp;gravity=auto&amp;url=https:\/\/images.ladbiblegroup.com\/v3\/assets\/blt949ea8e16e463049\/bltc2c6c25499da0ca6\/689878685d4cf3eb4bfea9ca\/dereggi.png 1200w, https:\/\/images.ladbible.com\/resize?type=webp&amp;quality=1&amp;width=1920&amp;fit=contain&amp;gravity=auto&amp;url=https:\/\/images.ladbiblegroup.com\/v3\/assets\/blt949ea8e16e463049\/bltc2c6c25499da0ca6\/689878685d4cf3eb4bfea9ca\/dereggi.png 1920w, https:\/\/images.ladbible.com\/resize?type=webp&amp;quality=1&amp;width=2048&amp;fit=contain&amp;gravity=auto&amp;url=https:\/\/images.ladbiblegroup.com\/v3\/assets\/blt949ea8e16e463049\/bltc2c6c25499da0ca6\/689878685d4cf3eb4bfea9ca\/dereggi.png 2048w, https:\/\/images.ladbible.com\/resize?type=webp&amp;quality=1&amp;width=3840&amp;fit=contain&amp;gravity=auto&amp;url=https:\/\/images.ladbiblegroup.com\/v3\/assets\/blt949ea8e16e463049\/bltc2c6c25499da0ca6\/689878685d4cf3eb4bfea9ca\/dereggi.png 3840w\" alt=\"John DeReggi and his girlfriend were posing for pictures prior to his death (ABC News)\" width=\"460\" height=\"508\" data-chromatic=\"ignore\" data-nimg=\"fill\" \/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><cite class=\"image-credit_imageCredit__YMlqS\">John DeReggi and his girlfriend were posing for pictures prior to his death (ABC News)<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"text_text__nEn66\">&#8220;He loved a thrill,&#8221; John&#8217;s mom, Christine DeReggi,\u00a0told\u00a0ABC News. &#8220;He wasn&#8217;t reckless but he definitely loved adventure. He loved to laugh. He\u00a0loved\u00a0to be a little bit scared.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"text_text__nEn66\">She received news of her\u00a0son&#8217;s death from his screaming girlfriend, who tragically witnessed the teenager die.<\/p>\n<p class=\"text_text__nEn66\">Speaking about her son&#8217;s girlfriend and her twin sister, Christine continued: &#8220;They just escaped. I mean, it was almost a triple tragedy&#8230; they saw it and it happened so quick they almost got sucked in. That&#8217;s how close they were.<\/p>\n<p class=\"text_text__nEn66\">&#8220;The train apparently is much wider than the tracks and I don&#8217;t know how far he jumped to try and clear it but he didn&#8217;t clear it.&#8221;<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-image_articleImage__eyzAn\">\n<div class=\"article-image_imageWrapper__ANtPE\">\n<div class=\"resizable-image_wrapper__LRQlr\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"article-image_image__XvzgU resizable-image_lowRes__5OkaL resizable-image_fadeOut___ZcLy\" src=\"https:\/\/images.ladbible.com\/resize?type=webp&amp;quality=1&amp;width=3840&amp;fit=contain&amp;gravity=auto&amp;url=https:\/\/images.ladbiblegroup.com\/v3\/assets\/blt949ea8e16e463049\/blt80c9e770b26fbd3f\/68987f94eb4abeb09f212fe9\/Screenshot_2025-08-10_at_12.15.00.png\" sizes=\"(max-width: 430px) 33vw, (max-width: 768px) 50vw, (max-width: 1024px) 50vw, 33vw\" srcset=\"https:\/\/images.ladbible.com\/resize?type=webp&amp;quality=1&amp;width=256&amp;fit=contain&amp;gravity=auto&amp;url=https:\/\/images.ladbiblegroup.com\/v3\/assets\/blt949ea8e16e463049\/blt80c9e770b26fbd3f\/68987f94eb4abeb09f212fe9\/Screenshot_2025-08-10_at_12.15.00.png 256w, https:\/\/images.ladbible.com\/resize?type=webp&amp;quality=1&amp;width=384&amp;fit=contain&amp;gravity=auto&amp;url=https:\/\/images.ladbiblegroup.com\/v3\/assets\/blt949ea8e16e463049\/blt80c9e770b26fbd3f\/68987f94eb4abeb09f212fe9\/Screenshot_2025-08-10_at_12.15.00.png 384w, https:\/\/images.ladbible.com\/resize?type=webp&amp;quality=1&amp;width=640&amp;fit=contain&amp;gravity=auto&amp;url=https:\/\/images.ladbiblegroup.com\/v3\/assets\/blt949ea8e16e463049\/blt80c9e770b26fbd3f\/68987f94eb4abeb09f212fe9\/Screenshot_2025-08-10_at_12.15.00.png 640w, https:\/\/images.ladbible.com\/resize?type=webp&amp;quality=1&amp;width=750&amp;fit=contain&amp;gravity=auto&amp;url=https:\/\/images.ladbiblegroup.com\/v3\/assets\/blt949ea8e16e463049\/blt80c9e770b26fbd3f\/68987f94eb4abeb09f212fe9\/Screenshot_2025-08-10_at_12.15.00.png 750w, https:\/\/images.ladbible.com\/resize?type=webp&amp;quality=1&amp;width=828&amp;fit=contain&amp;gravity=auto&amp;url=https:\/\/images.ladbiblegroup.com\/v3\/assets\/blt949ea8e16e463049\/blt80c9e770b26fbd3f\/68987f94eb4abeb09f212fe9\/Screenshot_2025-08-10_at_12.15.00.png 828w, https:\/\/images.ladbible.com\/resize?type=webp&amp;quality=1&amp;width=1080&amp;fit=contain&amp;gravity=auto&amp;url=https:\/\/images.ladbiblegroup.com\/v3\/assets\/blt949ea8e16e463049\/blt80c9e770b26fbd3f\/68987f94eb4abeb09f212fe9\/Screenshot_2025-08-10_at_12.15.00.png 1080w, https:\/\/images.ladbible.com\/resize?type=webp&amp;quality=1&amp;width=1200&amp;fit=contain&amp;gravity=auto&amp;url=https:\/\/images.ladbiblegroup.com\/v3\/assets\/blt949ea8e16e463049\/blt80c9e770b26fbd3f\/68987f94eb4abeb09f212fe9\/Screenshot_2025-08-10_at_12.15.00.png 1200w, https:\/\/images.ladbible.com\/resize?type=webp&amp;quality=1&amp;width=1920&amp;fit=contain&amp;gravity=auto&amp;url=https:\/\/images.ladbiblegroup.com\/v3\/assets\/blt949ea8e16e463049\/blt80c9e770b26fbd3f\/68987f94eb4abeb09f212fe9\/Screenshot_2025-08-10_at_12.15.00.png 1920w, https:\/\/images.ladbible.com\/resize?type=webp&amp;quality=1&amp;width=2048&amp;fit=contain&amp;gravity=auto&amp;url=https:\/\/images.ladbiblegroup.com\/v3\/assets\/blt949ea8e16e463049\/blt80c9e770b26fbd3f\/68987f94eb4abeb09f212fe9\/Screenshot_2025-08-10_at_12.15.00.png 2048w, https:\/\/images.ladbible.com\/resize?type=webp&amp;quality=1&amp;width=3840&amp;fit=contain&amp;gravity=auto&amp;url=https:\/\/images.ladbiblegroup.com\/v3\/assets\/blt949ea8e16e463049\/blt80c9e770b26fbd3f\/68987f94eb4abeb09f212fe9\/Screenshot_2025-08-10_at_12.15.00.png 3840w\" alt=\"The 16-year-old tragically lost his life in September 2015 (WUSA9)\" data-chromatic=\"ignore\" data-nimg=\"fill\" \/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><cite class=\"image-credit_imageCredit__YMlqS\">The 16-year-old tragically lost his life in September 2015 (WUSA9)<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"text_text__nEn66\">The mom added: &#8220;The moments before my son died are beautiful. He&#8217;s at peace and he&#8217;s happy. You can see it&#8217;s just them doing a sweet project together.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"text_text__nEn66\">Christine was referencing the photos the trio took together in his tragic final minutes.<\/p>\n<p class=\"text_text__nEn66\">Just four years prior to John&#8217;s death, three teenagers also passed away in similar circumstances.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-image_articleImage__eyzAn\">\n<div class=\"article-image_imageWrapper__ANtPE\">\n<div class=\"resizable-image_wrapper__LRQlr\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"article-image_image__XvzgU resizable-image_lowRes__5OkaL resizable-image_fadeOut___ZcLy\" src=\"https:\/\/images.ladbible.com\/resize?type=webp&amp;quality=1&amp;width=3840&amp;fit=contain&amp;gravity=auto&amp;url=https:\/\/images.ladbiblegroup.com\/v3\/assets\/blt949ea8e16e463049\/blt73273fe4af166b59\/689878ae3266edb7fea68871\/dereggi-x.png\" sizes=\"(max-width: 430px) 33vw, (max-width: 768px) 50vw, (max-width: 1024px) 50vw, 33vw\" srcset=\"https:\/\/images.ladbible.com\/resize?type=webp&amp;quality=1&amp;width=256&amp;fit=contain&amp;gravity=auto&amp;url=https:\/\/images.ladbiblegroup.com\/v3\/assets\/blt949ea8e16e463049\/blt73273fe4af166b59\/689878ae3266edb7fea68871\/dereggi-x.png 256w, https:\/\/images.ladbible.com\/resize?type=webp&amp;quality=1&amp;width=384&amp;fit=contain&amp;gravity=auto&amp;url=https:\/\/images.ladbiblegroup.com\/v3\/assets\/blt949ea8e16e463049\/blt73273fe4af166b59\/689878ae3266edb7fea68871\/dereggi-x.png 384w, https:\/\/images.ladbible.com\/resize?type=webp&amp;quality=1&amp;width=640&amp;fit=contain&amp;gravity=auto&amp;url=https:\/\/images.ladbiblegroup.com\/v3\/assets\/blt949ea8e16e463049\/blt73273fe4af166b59\/689878ae3266edb7fea68871\/dereggi-x.png 640w, https:\/\/images.ladbible.com\/resize?type=webp&amp;quality=1&amp;width=750&amp;fit=contain&amp;gravity=auto&amp;url=https:\/\/images.ladbiblegroup.com\/v3\/assets\/blt949ea8e16e463049\/blt73273fe4af166b59\/689878ae3266edb7fea68871\/dereggi-x.png 750w, https:\/\/images.ladbible.com\/resize?type=webp&amp;quality=1&amp;width=828&amp;fit=contain&amp;gravity=auto&amp;url=https:\/\/images.ladbiblegroup.com\/v3\/assets\/blt949ea8e16e463049\/blt73273fe4af166b59\/689878ae3266edb7fea68871\/dereggi-x.png 828w, https:\/\/images.ladbible.com\/resize?type=webp&amp;quality=1&amp;width=1080&amp;fit=contain&amp;gravity=auto&amp;url=https:\/\/images.ladbiblegroup.com\/v3\/assets\/blt949ea8e16e463049\/blt73273fe4af166b59\/689878ae3266edb7fea68871\/dereggi-x.png 1080w, https:\/\/images.ladbible.com\/resize?type=webp&amp;quality=1&amp;width=1200&amp;fit=contain&amp;gravity=auto&amp;url=https:\/\/images.ladbiblegroup.com\/v3\/assets\/blt949ea8e16e463049\/blt73273fe4af166b59\/689878ae3266edb7fea68871\/dereggi-x.png 1200w, https:\/\/images.ladbible.com\/resize?type=webp&amp;quality=1&amp;width=1920&amp;fit=contain&amp;gravity=auto&amp;url=https:\/\/images.ladbiblegroup.com\/v3\/assets\/blt949ea8e16e463049\/blt73273fe4af166b59\/689878ae3266edb7fea68871\/dereggi-x.png 1920w, https:\/\/images.ladbible.com\/resize?type=webp&amp;quality=1&amp;width=2048&amp;fit=contain&amp;gravity=auto&amp;url=https:\/\/images.ladbiblegroup.com\/v3\/assets\/blt949ea8e16e463049\/blt73273fe4af166b59\/689878ae3266edb7fea68871\/dereggi-x.png 2048w, https:\/\/images.ladbible.com\/resize?type=webp&amp;quality=1&amp;width=3840&amp;fit=contain&amp;gravity=auto&amp;url=https:\/\/images.ladbiblegroup.com\/v3\/assets\/blt949ea8e16e463049\/blt73273fe4af166b59\/689878ae3266edb7fea68871\/dereggi-x.png 3840w\" alt=\"His mom called his last moments 'beautiful' (ABC News)\" data-chromatic=\"ignore\" data-nimg=\"fill\" \/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><cite class=\"image-credit_imageCredit__YMlqS\">His mom called his last moments &#8216;beautiful&#8217; (ABC News)<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"text_text__nEn66\">In 2011, 13-year-old Savannah Webster had decided to join her older sister Kelsea, 15, who was hanging out with her friend Essa Ricker, also 15, by the Covered Bridge Canyon train crossing, located in Utah&#8217;s Spanish Fork Canyon.<\/p>\n<p class=\"text_text__nEn66\">It is understood that the teens had\u00a0planned to pose for a picture\u00a0as a train rushed past the tracks in front of them, but they hadn&#8217;t realized that there was a second train hurtling towards them from behind.<\/p>\n<p class=\"text_text__nEn66\">One harrowing photo depicted the three girls taking a selfie slightly off the tracks, but not far enough as to not be struck by the train &#8211; which was traveling at an estimated 39mph.<\/p>\n<p class=\"text_text__nEn66\"><em>If you have experienced a bereavement and would like to speak with someone in confidence, contact\u00a0<\/em><em>The Compassionate Friends<\/em>\u00a0<em>on (877) 969-0010.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><cite class=\"image-credit_imageCredit__YMlqS\">Featured Image Credit: ABC News<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>His mom spoke out about the tragic loss John DeReggi was posing for pictures with his girlfriend and her twin sister when tragedy struck. The 16-year-olds were taking part in a\u00a0photography\u00a0class project and visited railroad tracks in rural Maryland for their photoshoot in September 2015. It was here that John was fooling around for the&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":24311,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_post_transparent":"default","_kad_post_title":"default","_kad_post_layout":"default","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"default","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"default","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[10,9,3,4,5,8,6,7],"class_list":["post-24310","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-education","tag-health","tag-insurance","tag-investing","tag-legal","tag-medical","tag-mortgage","tag-real-estate"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Photo taken just moments before boy, 16, was killed in front of girlfriend and sister - VM News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/news-vm.com\/?p=24310\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Photo taken just moments before boy, 16, was killed in front of girlfriend and sister - VM News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"His mom spoke out about the tragic loss John DeReggi was posing for pictures with his girlfriend and her twin sister when tragedy struck. The 16-year-olds were taking part in a\u00a0photography\u00a0class project and visited railroad tracks in rural Maryland for their photoshoot in September 2015. 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