Natalie Neysa Alund, and Jen Todd

The Tennessean

Portland police have identified a teen who was fatally struck by a train late Thursday night as 17-year-old Jon Ferrell.

Police are still investigating the death of Ferrell, a Portland resident.

According to police, at 10:22 p.m., officers were contacted by CSX officials who told them a southbound train struck a person walking along the tracks just south of South Russell Street.

Officers arrived and found the body of a boy and pronounced him dead at the scene.

"Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family of the young man," Portland Mayor Ken Wilber told The Tennessean.

This is the second person in less than a year to be struck and killed by a train in the Portland area. Jonathan Jones, 31, was hit by a train while on the tracks north of Fountain Head Road at 2:44 a.m. June 15.

"I just don't know how you wouldn't see or hear it coming," said Stacy Muth, who lives near South Russell Street. "It's huge bright lights and they blow their horns before they come through. But it's just terrible."

Wilber and residents agree it is fairly common for people to walk along or around the train tracks in the area. Some cross the tracks to walk to nearby businesses.

"They definitely should not be walking beside the tracks, so maybe it's something we need to do more education on," Wilber said. "After we get all the facts in, we will evaluate and see if there's something we can do to make people more aware of the safety of these tracks."

Katelyn Graham said homeless people often stay near the train tracks at the bridge at Highway 52 in Portland, but they stay away from the oncoming trains.

"You can feel vibrations," she said. "You're going to be real aware that it's somewhere near."

The incident remains under investigation.

This is a developing story.

Reach Natalie Alund at nalund@tennessean.com and follow her on Twitter @nataliealund. Reach Jen Todd at 615-575-7143, jtodd1@gannett.com or on Twitter @jentoddwrites.