New Trier High School student, out for walk during sleepover, dies after falling on third rail of CTA tracks

EVANSTON, Ill. - A 16-year-old girl, out for a walk with a friend during a sleepover, died after falling on the electrified third rail along CTA tracks in Evanston early Wednesday.

Samantha Cerrone, a sophomore at New Trier High School, stumbled and fell just north of the Central Street station around 2:30 a.m., according to Evanston Police Cmdr. Ryan Glew.

Cerrone, of Winnetka, was taken by paramedics across the street to Evanston Hospital, where she was pronounced dead nearly an hour later, Glew and the Cook County medical examiner’s office said.

DOWNLOAD THE FOX 32 NEWS APP FOR BREAKING ALERTS

Cerrone had a friend sleeping over when the two decided to walk along the Purple Line tracks early in the morning, Glew said. They started near Isabella Street, where the tracks are at ground level, he said.

After Cerrone fell, her friend tried to pull her off the third rail and suffered minor injuries, Glew said.

Autopsy results have not been released.

SIGN UP FOR EMAIL UPDATES FROM FOX 32 NEWS

New Trier Winnetka Campus Principal Denise Dubravec announced the death to students and staff in an email Wednesday.

"It is with a heavy heart that I share the news that one of our students, sophomore Samantha Cerrone, has passed away following a tragic accident," Dubravec wrote.

"Our thoughts, prayers, and love go out to her parents and all of her friends and family during this extraordinarily difficult time," she said.