The fatal incident took place in the early morning hours of Wednesday, January 21, 2026, at the SEPTA Hunting Park subway station on the Broad Street Line, located at 4200 N. Broad Street in North Philadelphia. Surveillance footage from the station showed Terrell Burton entering the premises around 12:30 a.m.. Approximately one hour later, at around 1:30 a.m., the fatal sequence of events unfolded as a train arrived at the station.
Authorities reported that Terrell Burton, a 41-year-old man residing in the 1600 block of West Allegheny Avenue in Philadelphia, had just exited the train. According to investigators, as the southbound train began moving again, Burton stepped backward. This motion caused him to lose his balance and fall into the dangerous gap between the moving train and the station platform.
This space between a train and the platform edge is known as a platform gap. Burton fell directly into this gap and was struck and run over by the train. The Philadelphia Fire Department was called to the scene and emergency responders pronounced Burton deceased at 2:03 a.m.. He was officially pronounced dead at the location, as the injuries sustained were fatal.
An important clarification provided by SEPTA indicates that Burton was not struck by a regular passenger subway car. Service on the Broad Street Line ends at 12:30 a.m.. Instead, he was hit by a maintenance or work train that was operating on the tracks after passenger service had concluded for the night. This detail corrects initial police reports that stated he had been struck after stepping off an arriving passenger train.
The Philadelphia Police Department’s Crash Investigation Division is actively investigating the circumstances of the accident. The investigation remains ongoing, with authorities working to understand the full sequence of events and what specifically caused Burton to step backward at that precise moment. As of now, no further details about Burton’s life or the potential cause have been made public by the investigating authorities.
The death of Terrell Burton highlights the ever-present dangers associated with train platforms, particularly the hazardous gap between a train and the platform edge. Safety agencies consistently warn passengers to be mindful of this space while boarding and exiting. This tragic accident serves as a somber reminder of the critical importance of situational awareness and caution when navigating transit systems, even during late-night hours when stations may be less crowded.