Train death

A 34-year-old man was struck and killed by a train in Chico on St. Patrick’s Day (March 17).

The Butte County Sheriff’s Office released the name of the victim—Martin Mikolajczak—earlier this week. Mikolajczak was hit between West Fifth and Sixth streets at about 10 p.m. Friday night. Roads crossing the railroad tracks in the south campus neighborhood were shut down for several hours.

According to Sgt. Terry Tupper of the Chico Police Department, Mikolajczak reportedly stayed on the tracks after the train’s engineer sounded the horn several times. Police are still investigating the incident, and an autopsy is scheduled to determine whether Mikolajczak was under the influence of alcohol or drugs.