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Michael Pellicci, a Stamford resident, was with a friend after attending the Boston Red Sox/Yankees game at Yankee Stadium when a 24-year-old man jumped on top of the New Haven-bound train.
"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.
The man killed, Michael Vigeant, 24, of Hudson, New Hampshire, died about 11:30 p.m. Wednesday after climbing on top of a Stamford-bound train between Larchmont and Mamaroneck and hitting overhead electrified wires.
After his body fell, undercover train cops and trained EMTs jumped into action and began CPR in an effort to save the young man, Pellicci said.
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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