The vigil for Jenna Betti was held on Tuesday night as over a thousand people poured into Martinez Junior High School in California. Jenna, 14, was hit by a train on Sunday while trying to recover a cell phone she had dropped as she crossed the tracks. Jenna had been sitting on the tracks that evening hanging out with her boyfriend.
Three separate train operators reported seeing two people , Jenna Betti and her boyfriend, move off of the tracks as the eastbound train came around the bend. Suddenly, one of the figures darted back to the tracks before any of the operators could react. Jenna Betti had misjudged the situation, and her decision would prove to be the last one she would ever make. She was sucked up and hit by the train.
Friends grieve for 14 yr old Jenna Betti #Martinez , struck & killed by freight train last night #KTVU #pinkforjenna pic.twitter.com/KmKjaw9eQB
— KTVU (@KTVU) March 3, 2014
Jenna Betti’s brother, Stephen Bielecki, 20, told reporters, “I can’t really put myself in her shoes, but I think she wasn’t really thinking, and didn’t really think twice, and she just reacted and tried to get her phone as quick as she could.” Stephen added that the railroad tracks were a popular place for teenagers to hang out. No word has been released yet about whether or not the railway company or government officials plan to do anything to increase security in the area.
ICYMI: American exchange student hit by train in Rome .
Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway spokeswoman Lena Kent did release a statement, but said the operators had all seen the same thing. Jenna Betti returning to the tracks before she was hit by the train. Her boyfriend shared on Facebook the last moments of her life. “We smiled at each other and she kissed me. Then we heard honking. If I could relive it. I would switch places.” The incident was a shocking tragedy to a community that new Jenna well and loved her.
Classmates wore pink on Monday to honor Jenna Betti prior to her vigil on Tuesday. The vigil was also preceded by a social media outpouring of love using the hashtag #pinkforjenna. Pink was her favorite color and the vigil was decorated with it. Jenna’s mother, Dena Betti, lamented the loss of her daughter with a difficult question, “Why they made such a horrible decision we’ll never know.”
The candlelight vigil was an opportunity for friends and family to cope with the sudden loss of an eighth grader gone too soon. School counselors are available to students who need to talk with someone. Jenna Betti’s death is sure to spark debate concerning railroad safety and the need to take proper precautions so future teenagers are not hit by a train.
[Image via Twitter]
