Gregory Plitt, the fitness model and reality TV star killed Saturday, was filming video for his website, trying to get action shots, when he tripped and was struck by an oncoming train, friends said. 
 
 "He just made a mistake," his friend Warren Coulter said Monday. 
 
 Plitt, 37, was struck by a southbound train while filming about 4 p.m. just north of the Burbank Metrolink Station, police said. 
 
 Coulter was not at the site when the tragedy occurred but said he spoke to film crew members who were at the scene. He said Plitt was trying to get action photos and may have acted like Superman as he filmed a video for his website. The old saying says Superman is "more powerful than a locomotive." 
 
 Plitt's girlfriend, Christina Stejskal, said he was "just trying to get the best shot." 
 
 "He wanted to push things to the limit," said a weeping Stejskal in an interview Monday. "He's just like Superman." 
 
 Warner Bros. Dr. Manhattan in the 2009 film "Watchmen" was modeled on the physique of Greg Plitt. Dr. Manhattan in the 2009 film "Watchmen" was modeled on the physique of Greg Plitt. (Warner Bros.) 
 
 Metrolink officials said Plitt and his film crew did not have permission to be on the commuter railroad's right-of-way. 
 
 "He had no permit to be there," said Jeff Lustgarten, a Metrolink spokesman. "We have a whole process for people to go through if they want to be on our right-of-way, especially for film crews." 
 
 It is considered trespassing, a misdemeanor offense, to be on or near railroad tracks without the authorization of the railroad company, the operator or provisions of state and federal law. 
 
 Lustgarten called the accident "tragic on a lot of different levels." 
 
 Warren Coulter, left, and reality TV star Greg Plitt, who was struck and killed by a Metrolink train. Warren Coulter, left, and reality TV star Greg Plitt, who was struck and killed by a Metrolink train. 
 
 "Our hearts go out to Greg Plitt's family and his friends," he added. 
 
 Plitt had used the same stretch of Burbank railroad tracks for filming other fitness videos, lifting barbells and doing push-ups on the tracks. 
 
 Lustgarten said the Burbank station is located on a stretch of track where trains travel at more moderate speeds because there is a string of stations in that area. 
 
 According to Metrolink, the train's engineer saw the film crew, sounded his horn and applied the emergency brakes. 
 
 Burbank Police Sgt. Scott Meadows confirmed that Plitt was with a crew of two who were filming when the conductor blew the horn. Plitt did not react to the horn. He was struck by the train and pushed off the tracks. 
 
 Police interviewed the crew -- a man and woman -- and seized the video for evidence. The investigation is ongoing. 
 
 Coulter said Plitt, a West Point graduate, was featured in more than 250 magazines and rescued pit bulls. 
 
 He was the star of the Bravo reality show "Work Out" and appeared on the soap opera "Days of Our Lives" as well as in films such as "Terminator Salvation" and "Grudge Match." 
 
 Coulter said his friend had a fearless attitude toward life and that "there was nothing he couldn't do." 
 
 That's why Plitt's death came as a shock to his many friends and fans, he said. 
 
 Michael Ewing, a producer who was close friends with the reality TV star, said Plitt, a rock climber and avid skydiver, was "the most alive person" he'd ever met. He said Plitt's body was the model for the ultra-fit Dr. Manhattan in the 2009 film "Watchmen." 
 
 “He was fearless,” Ewing said. “That’s why it’s so sad, but he could not outrun this last thing.” 
 
 The Federal Railroad Administration said trespassing on railroad rights-of-way is the cause of the most rail-related deaths in the United States. 
 
 In Los Angeles and surrounding counties, about 30 people a year are struck and killed by Metrolink, Amtrak and freight trains, according to Lustgarten. Nationally, more than 400 people are killed a year and nearly as many are injured along rights-of-way. The vast majority of these deaths and injuries are preventable, federal officials say. 
 
 In one high-profile incident, a 27-year-old camera assistant was killed by a freight train in Georgia last year while on the set of the film "Midnight Rider." Several other crew members were injured. 
 
 The incident triggered lawsuits and multiple investigations by state and federal authorities. 
 
 Last summer, the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration cited the Pasadena-based film company for safety violations and proposed penalties of $74,900. 
 
 Twitter: @VeronicaRochaLA, @LADeadline16 ||||| A bodybuilder who was struck and killed by a train was on a promotional video shoot and was running between tracks, police said. Patrick Healy reports for the NBC4 News at 5 on Jan. 20, 2015. (Published Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2015) 
 
 A bodybuilder who was struck and killed Saturday by a train in Burbank was shooting a promotion for one of his sponsors and running between the rail tracks when the train caught up with him, police confirmed Tuesday. 
 
 The new details provide insight into the events that led to the death of 37-year-old bodybuilder, inspirational coach, actor and model Greg Plitt. Investigators have said they believed his death was an accident based on their preliminary investigation. 
 
 Plitt, who was to be featured in a new Bravo reality series that premiered Monday called “Friends to Lovers,” was struck at about 4 p.m. Saturday on the tracks at Front Street, just north of the Burbank Metrolink Station. 
 
 Until Tuesday's confirmation from police, it was not clear whether Plitt was running alongside the tracks or between the rails. He was with two others during the shoot and did not respond to a horn blast from the Metrolink train before it caught up to him, Burbank police said. 
 
 Video Captured Bodybuilder Moments Before Fatal Train Crash 
 
 Surveillance footage from a nearby business showed bodybuilder Gregg Plitt running alongside the tracks moment before he was struck by a MetroLink train, an employee told NBC4. Patrick Healy reports for the NBC4 News at 6 on Jan. 19, 2015. (Published Monday, Jan. 19, 2015) 
 
 He died at the scene. Police learned he was shooting a promotional video for sponsor Shadow Beverages, which includes brands such as No Fear and WheyUp. 
 
 "We are extremely saddened by the suddent and tragic loss of our spokesperson and part owner of the WheyUp brand, Greg Plitt," reads in part a statement posted on the WheyUp website. The statement did not address the circumstances of the video shoot or the death. 
 
 A call Tuesday to the energy drink company's office in Phoenix was not immediately returned. 
 
 A filming permit had not been issued, according to police, and Metrolink had not been contacted tp arrange for a traffic stop and other required safety precautions before a crew is allowed to enter railway right of way, said a spokesman for the regional rail service that owns and operates the tracks where the incident occurred, just north of the Burbank Station. 
 
 A former U.S. Army Ranger, Plitt grew to fame as a fitness guru, model and motivational speaker. Plitt had previously worked out next to, and even on, train tracks, according to videos he posted. The videos include scene that appear to have been shot at the same location as the site where he was killed. 
 
 Police have not released video from the promotional shoot. Late Tuesday, police were to begin reviewing additional video from a nearby business's security camera that looked out over the tracks. 
 
 Fans Mourn Loss of Fitness Expert Greg Plitt 
 
 Fans gathered to mourn the loss of a fitness expert who was struck and killed by a commuter train in Burbank. Jane Yamamoto reports for the NBC4 News at 5 and 6 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 18, 2015. (Published Monday, Jan. 19, 2015) 
 
 A public memorial service is scheduled for 2 p.m. Saturday at The Church of the Good Shepherd in Beverly Hills. A second service is scheduled for next week in his hometown of Baltimore. 
 
 "We are devastated over the loss of our son," Plitt's family posted on his website. "Your messages have uplifted us and give us strength. We thank you for that. Greg's soul is now with our heavenly Father. May his spirit live on through his website and through each of you." ||||| Fitness expert Greg Plitt does push-ups on the train tracks in a video from his web site that Britain's Daily Mail posted to YouTube. (Image from YouTube video) 
 
 Video taken by a camera on the Metrolink train that fatally struck Bravo reality TV star Greg Plitt Jr. shows the popular fitness expert running on the tracks away from the oncoming train during an apparent filming for a sports drink promotion, Burbank police said Tuesday. 
 
 “The (video) we’ve been able to view is from the Metrolink — it’s a camera on top of the train. It shows an individual running on the tracks,” said Burbank police Officer Joshua Kendrick, a spokesman. “The train is coming in his direction. He’s running away from the train. ... It is an area on the tracks where trains are moving back and forth at high rates of speed.” 
 
 The 37-year-old former Calvin Klein model and fitness trainer, who lived in Burbank, was struck about 4:05 p.m. Saturday by a Metrolink southbound train approaching the Burbank station. None of the roughly 180 passengers on board were injured, authorities said. 
 
 The incident does not appear to be suspicious, Kendrick said, “just an unfortunate accident.” However the investigation could lead to criminal charges if anyone is found to be at fault, he said. 
 
 “It’s something that’s being considered and being investigated,” Kendrick said. “Because the investigation is still ongoing, they have not concluded anything yet.” 
 
 As the train approached, the conductor saw someone on the tracks and attempted to slow the train down and brake, even honking his horn multiple times, but Plitt remained on the tracks, police officials said. 
 
 A Metrolink spokesman said they would not release the Metrolink footage “because it is the subject of an ongoing investigation and because of the disturbing and intensely personal nature of the video.” 
 
 The spokesman added that “Mr. Plitt was aware of the train as it was approaching him from behind.” 
 
 Police also seized video from a camera shooting video at the scene during the filming and were in the process of filing a search warrant Tuesday at the court before viewing it, Kendrick said. 
 
 Investigators from the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office and the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) were on scene at the accident site, he said. 
 
 Meanwhile, a public memorial is scheduled for 2 p.m. Saturday at the Church of the Good Shepherd in Beverly Hills. While not a member, Plitt visited often as did his mother when she was in town, a representative from the parish said. 
 
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 Plitt, a former captain and ranger in the U.S. Army and a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, has broken fitness-modeling records by being on a fitness magazine cover every month in a row for five straight years, according to his bio. Plitt, also a motivational speaker, starred in Bravo’s “Work Out” reality TV show and was due to appear in an upcoming episode of the network’s “Friends to Lovers.” ||||| G Sonny Bono: The Sonny and Cher singer-turned-politician, and father of Chaz Bono, died at 62 in 1998 after suffering massive head injuries from skiing into a tree in South Lake Tahoe, California. 
 
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 W Aaliyah: The Are You That Somebody? singer died at 22 in 2001, after the over-loaded twin-engine plane she was flying in crashed while leaving the Bahamas. Eight others died in the crash. 
 
 G Natalie Wood: The Rebel Without A Cause actress died in 1981 at 43, after falling overboard on a boat sailing near California's Catalina Island. Officials ruled her death an accidental drowning, adding Wood had drank as many as eight glasses of wine, and was intoxicated when she died. 
 
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 G Marvin Gaye: The Mercy, Mercy Me singer -- living in his parents house at the time because he was depressed and suicidal -- was fatally shot by his own father in 1984 after an argument over misplaced documents. Gaye's father had reportedly been beaten by the singer prior to the shooting, and received five years of probation after pleading guilty to manslaughter charges. 
 
 G Michael Jackson: The King Of Pop died at 50 in his Holmby Hills, California mansion in 2009, and authorities deemed his official cause of death, “acute intoxication of a powerful anesthetic complicated by other sedatives.” His live-in doctor, Dr. Conrad Murray, was subsequently charged with involuntary manslaughter in connection with the Thriller singer's death. 
 
 F Phil Hartman: The witty Canadian comic of Saturday Night Live fame was fatally shot at 49 by his wife Brynn in 1998 at their Encino, California home. She later turned the gun on herself. 
 
 W Lisa “Left Eye” Lopez: The TLC beauty, known for his such as Waterfalls and No Scrubs, died of head and neck injuries at 30 in 2002, following a single-car accident in La Ceiba, Honduras. 
 
 W Brandon Lee: The son of karate icon Bruce Lee died at 28 in 1993 in Wilmington, North Carolina after he was accidentally shot on the set of his film, The Crow. According to iMDb, the film footage of Lee's death was destroyed before being developed. 
 
 G Selena: The popular Tejano singer, just 23, was fatally shot in 1995 by Yolanda Saldivar, the president of her fan club, after a falling out. Jennifer Lopez's career took off after playing the singer in the 1997 feature film, Selena. 
 
 G Jeff Buckley: The second-generation musical talent died at 30 in 1997 in Memphis's Wolf River Harbor, where coroners claim a sober Buckley accidentally drowned. He hit the top of the Billboard charts in March 2008, with his rendition of Leonard Cohen's song, Hallelujah. 
 
 I Heath Ledger: The Australian actor died in 2008 in his New York apartment after an overdose of prescription drugs, just as his career was hitting its' stride. He'd posthumously win the best supporting actor Oscar for his performance in The Dark Knight at that year's Academy Awards. 
 
 S Anna Nicole Smith: The Playboy Playmate-turned-reality star fatally overdosed in 2007 in a Florida hotel room at the age of 37, causing a media blitz in the wake of her premature passing. She died less than a year after her son, Daniel Wayne Smith, died of an accidental overdose. 
 
 S Brittany Murphy: The actress of Clueless and 8-Mile fame died at 32 in her Hollywood Hills home in 2009, from what authorities said was pneumonia, with secondary factors of iron-deficiency anemia and drug intoxication. Her widower, Simon Monjack, died in the same house less than six months later. 
 
 S David Carradine: The veteran star of classics like Kung Fu and Kill Bill died in 2009 after he was found hung in the closet of his Bangkok, Thailand hotel room, with a rope tied around his neck, wrist and genitalia. 
 
 G Michael Hutchence: The INXS singer was found dead at 37 in 1997 in a Sydney, Australia hotel room. While initially deemed a suicide by authorities, his ex Paula Yates (who died three years later from a heroin overdose) claimed the What You Need singer had botched an attempt at auto-erotic asphyxiation, causing his premature death. 
 
 S Steve Irwin: The beloved Crocodile Hunter died at 44 in 2006 after he was fatally pierced in the chest by a sting ray spine during a snorkeling outing at Australia's Great Barrier Reef. His widow Terri said in her 2007 book Steve And Me that the TV personality had premonitions he'd die before the age of 40. ||||| Bravo Star Died in Superman Stunt Trying to Outrun Train 
 
 Bravo Star -- Died in Superman Stunt Trying to Outrun Train 
 
 EXCLUSIVE 
 
 Bravo star and fitness instructor Greg Plitt did NOT die from stumbling on a railroad track Saturday ... he was fatally struck by a train after trying to outrun it ... to prove the effectiveness of an energy drink.Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... they have reviewed video of the accident and it shows Plitt standing on the tracks as the train barrels toward him. Shortly before the train reaches Plitt he assumes a runners stance and bolts down the track.The video shows the train closes in on Plitt as he races at breakneck speed, but he loses the battle and the train "clips" him ... throwing him off the track to his death. It happens quickly and after getting struck he disappears from the video.And law enforcement tells us they found multiple energy drink bottles near the track and authorities think Plitt may have been hopped up from the caffeine. We're told he was shooting a commercial for the product.One of the investigators interviewed someone involved in Plitt's video shoot who said Plitt was trying to make the point that the energy drink makes you like Superman ... able to outrun a speeding train.
– It may sound like a joke, but it was deadly serious in the end: TMZ reports that Bravo star Greg Plitt was in the process of trying to outrun a train—"to prove the effectiveness of an energy drink"—when he was fatally hit by said train. Original reports of the California accident had Plitt "stumbling" onto the tracks, but law enforcement sources tell the gossip site they've seen video: In it, Plitt allegedly stood on the tracks until the train was close to him, then started running down the tracks. He didn't make it; the train clipped him and threw him off the tracks. Police have also said officially to the Los Angeles Daily News that Plitt was running between the rails, and a Metrolink rep says he was aware of the train. The sources also say they found energy drink bottles nearby, and that Plitt was shooting a commercial for the drink at the time of his death. According to NBC Los Angeles, the promo he was shooting was for one of his sponsors, Shadow Beverages, which makes drinks like No Fear and WheyUp. But friends tell the Los Angeles Times Plitt was filming "action shots" for his website, though they admit he may have been emulating "more powerful than a locomotive" Superman. "He wanted to push things to the limit. He's just like Superman," says his girlfriend, who adds that Plitt was "just trying to get the best shot." (Click for more celebrities who died in bizarre circumstances.)