Pedestrian dies after being hit by LIRR train east of Bethpage station, MTA says

A Long Island Rail Road train struck and killed a pedestrian on the Ronkonkoma Branch east of the Bethpage train station Thursday evening, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority said.

Around 4:59 p.m. the eastbound train struck the pedestrian, who EMTs pronounced dead on arrival, a spokesperson for the MTA police said in a Thursday night email to Newsday.

The MTA spokesperson did not identify the victim.

A preliminary investigation revealed no criminality was suspected and no other persons were involved in the incident, MTA police said. An investigation remains underway.

Earlier in the evening, trains were being held at various stations across the Ronkonkoma Branch. The train involved in the incident, which had around 600 passengers, reached Ronkonkoma after a 45-minute delay, the MTA said. By 7:30 p.m., the line was operating at or close to schedule.