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MTA officials said Michael Vigeant, 24, of Hudson, New Hampshire, was killed about 11:30 p.m. Wednesday after climbing on top of a Stamford-bound train between Larchmont and Mamaroneck and hitting overhead electrified wires.
One witness to the entire event, Michael Pellicci, a Stamford resident who was on the train with a buddy after attending the Yankees/Boston Red Sox game, said Vigeant and his older brother jumped on top of the train more than once.
"We saw them and wondered how they had gotten from one end of the train to the other so quickly," said the Stamford restaurant owner. "That's when the conductor got wise to what they were doing and stopped the older brother to tell him how stupid it was."
Moments later, there was a thud and a spark of light and Pellicci watched as the young man's body fell into the train between the area of the cabooses.
"You could see his body folded in half and one arm that was black," he said. "It was horrible."
That's when undercover train cops and trained EMTs jumped into action and began CPR in an effort to save the young man.
While the life-saving efforts were underway, Pellicci said the older brother, who Pellicci said was very drunk and belligerent, was screaming and making a scene to get into the area where his brother was.
"He was scaring women and young children on the train," he said. "My buddy and I kept an eye on him in case he got in the area and along with others on the train, we decided we would restrain him if he managed to get into the area."
As all of the mayhem was going on, the air conditioning shut down, he said, making it super uncomfortable for everyone aboard.
"It was so humid and we had to wait for hours for another train to pick us up around 3 a.m. and take us to Stamford," he said.
The fourth-generation operator of Pellicci's Restaurant in Stamford said he really wanted to make sure that the police, EMT's and, especially, the conductor who saved the older brother, were commended.
"We all jump on them when they do something wrong, but they were terrific and very professional and patient," he said. "They deserve to be recognized for their actions.
He also said he made sure to speak with his two sons about their own actions early Thursday morning.
"I wanted them to remember that you see these stunts on TV and they look fun and crazy, but your actions have consequences and we all need to remember that," he added.
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