5-year-old victim identified in Christmas Tree Lane train crash tragedy in Fresno

A 5-year-old boy was killed Tuesday near Christmas Tree Lane after a minivan was struck by a train, according to Fresno police.

It happened around 5:50 p.m. and just west of the intersection of Maroa and Shields avenues, where an Amtrak train crashed into a white minivan that had a family of four inside. The Fresno County Coroner identified the child as Anton Solorio, 5, of Fresno.

Fresno police Lt. Andre Benson said investigators still were trying to determine how the minivan got stuck on the train tracks, where the vehicle was when the railroad crossing gate went down, or if the crossing arms even motioned down.

Traffic was backed up in both directions along Shields prior to the collision with vehicles waiting to turn onto nearby Van Ness Avenue and enter Christmas Tree Lane, a popular Fresno holiday tradition.

Benson said there were several witnesses to the crash.

“We have a small child that was ultimately killed,” Benson said. “There were a lot of people in line.

“The initial information that we have is the family was in fact in line awaiting to see Christmas Tree Lane.”

Two others in the minivan suffered moderate injuries due to the train collision and the entire family was taken to a local hospital, Benson said. Among those in the van was the child’s mother, Benson confirmed.

There were 50 passengers inside the train at the time of the crash and no reported injuries to the passengers or crew members, an Amtrak spokesperson confirmed.

The train was temporarily suspended, the spokesperson added, but service was expected to resume once a new crew arrived to work onboard for the remainder of the trip.

Tuesday marked the first night Christmas Tree Lane was officially open to the public this year.

The popular Fresno tradition, which has gone on for nearly 100 years, annually attracts thousands of people.

It typically has been open on designated nights for the public to walk along the road to see the festive holiday lights. But because of the coronavirus pandemic, that attraction was canceled this year.

This story was originally published December 1, 2020 at 7:49 PM.