MIAMI – Miami Dade police are now dealing with a Metromover mystery on their hands after a man somehow wound up on the tracks Wednesday night. That's when the man was struck by the train.
"His body took quite an impact," said det. Roy Rutland of MDPD. "For many reasons, most obviously being the weight and speed of this train."
The man was run over by two transit cars around 6 p.m. He then plunged off the second story station down onto Miami Avenue at SE First Street as people waited to catch their free rush hour ride.
"It's not certain at this point whether someone pushed him onto the tracks?" asked local 10's Baron James.
"This is an active death investigation, but certainly not going to rule that out," said Rutland.
While the man's lifeless and covered body lay in the intersection for at least five hours, the Metromover did not move at all.
Crime scene and medical examiners office investigators went over and over the train, the tracks, and the terrain around it, talking to passengers and other witnesses.
"The witnesses that we are dealing with were actually standing there with the man," Rutland said.
Some witnesses said the man took an accidental fatal fall, others said he was purposely pushed to his death.
"Of course we are not going to limit any possibility at this point," said Rutland.
By 11 p.m. Wednesday, homicide detectives weren't ready to rule out anything.
"Witnesses attempted to help him off the tracks, but it appears he refused," Rutland said. "We do not know why. So was it a suicide? You know, that's always a possibility. You know, we've seen those here in the past. But of course, this being a very active investigation, we want to be very cautious right now.
The outer loop of the Metromover trail has reopened and is fully operation. The inner loop remains closed, but is expected to be running by Thursday morning rush hour.
Those who need to use the inner loop before it reopens will be offered a free shuttle bus service.