66-year-old man identified after getting fatally struck by train in central Fresno

Less than three weeks into the new year and Fresno County already has one train-related death.

The Fresno County Sheriff’s Office identified Leon Perez, 66, as the man who died Tuesday night after getting struck by a train in the area of Wishon and Shields avenues in central Fresno.

Authorities still are trying to determine what happened prior to Perez getting hit by the train.

Last year, three people were killed in an incident involving a train in Fresno County.

Only Los Angeles County (5) and San Diego County (4) and Santa Clara County (4) had more train-related deaths among California counties than Fresno during 2023, according to data from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Railroad Administration.

The data also shows there has been 13 deaths out of 37 train-related incidents in Fresno County since 2018.