Wheaton College freshman baseball player Tomassino "Tommy" Offer died Sunday after his car was struck by a freight train in Wheaton, Illinois. He was 18.
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The collision occurred around 10:15 a.m. near Main and Front streets, west of the college campus outside Chicago, according to the New York Post.
A Metra spokesperson said Offer had stopped for a westbound freight train. After that train passed, he began crossing the tracks and was struck by an eastbound freight train.
"Our team is grieving and our hearts are heavy as we grieve alongside Tommy's family and friends," Wheaton baseball coach Matt Husted said in a statement released by the college.
Husted remembered Offer as a sincere, joyful and competitive teammate who formed friendships throughout campus.
"He was really interested in other people and showed them that they were important to him," Husted said. "He really connected with people in the Wheaton community beyond baseball."
Offer, a Michigan native, had attended services at St. Michael Catholic Church before the collision, ABC7 Chicago reported. The Rev. Santos Castillo said he saw Offer before he left and that the student planned to travel to Chicago with a friend.
Wheaton held a memorial Sunday night. Students and community members also gathered at the church Monday to remember him.
Offer's former school, Notre Dame Preparatory School in Pontiac, Michigan, paid tribute to his character and athletic accomplishments, including a state championship with his soccer teammates.
"Tomassino Offer was an outstanding student and an even better young man," the school said. "He was loved by his teachers and classmates."
