A man who loved riding on top of passenger trains was decapitated after one went under a bridge.

Varcy Locklear’s dangerous hobby is believed to have killed him as he rode an Amtrak train in Lumberton, North Carolina in late October.

The 24 year-old’s skull was found on December 11 by train crew, and formally identified as belonging to him Thursday.

Varcy Locklear, pictured was decapitated while riding on top of an Amtrak train after it went under a bridge. His skull was found earlier this month and formally identified Thursday (Picture: Facebook)

Locklear’s headless corpse was discovered shortly after his death on October 30.


Officials believe it lay on top of the train after Locklear was decapitated, then fell off shortly after the locomotive passed through a track switching area and swayed from side to side as a result.

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After the train in question was examined, investigators found blood spatter on its roof consistent with the decapitation theory.



He was known to cops for hopping on trains without a ticket, and had been charged numerous times with trespassing.

Enfield Police Captain Dreher Bozard told the Fayetteville Observer: ‘He has been charged in the past with some trespassing charges dealing with trains.

Locklear had previously been in trouble with police for boarding Amtrak trains without a ticket, and once filmed himself playing chicken with a locomotive (File photo/AP)

‘He has been charged, and he’s also been warned several times about trespassing on train property, so he has a history of this.

‘He also has gone on Facebook before and posted a video on Facebook live of him standing in front of a train and jumping out of the way at the last second.’

Murphy added: ‘It’s a bizarre case. (Investigators) were shocked like anybody else would be to see anything of that magnitude.″

His death saw the train he was traveling atop forced to stop for 46 minutes.

An Amtrak spokesman said that 99 passengers were on board at the time, and added that no-one else was injured.

Locklear’s death is being treated as accidental.