Horrific video of an elderly man moments before he was dragged by a commuter train has been released.

The Origenian newspaper had been pressuring city authorities to release footage of the grizzly scene that took place in December 2023, to raise awareness of public safety.

Jonathan Ignatious Edwards, 65, was dragged on a train platform in the well-to-do suburb of Beaverton outside Portland, Oregon. Footage shows Edwards exiting the train before he seemingly changed his mind and attempted to reboard.

That’s when his long trench coat became caught as the doors closed, before Edwards could enter the train.

The following video, which was released, shows the moments just before Edwards was dragged:

Edwards’s attempts to dislodge his coat failed as he was dragged 100 yards before the train operator was able to stop. He was allegedly paralyzed from the neck down and died a “horrific death” in the hospital after 26 days, according to his family members.

After Edwards’ family sued Legacy Emanuel Medical Center for $9M for alleged negligence, it was revealed that TriMet paid Edwards’ family $830,000 to stave away lawsuits, the DM reported.

TriMet, which runs Portland’s trains and buses, updated its procedures and now has operators stand outside the train to observe train doors after an investigation found no operational problems.

TriMet had refused to release the footage in an effort to spare Edwards’ family “the horror,” The Daily Mail reported. But, the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office, Chief Deputy DA Adam Gibbs, and DA Nathan Vasquez ordered the clip to be released.

“The public has a clear safety interest in observing the specific interaction between a TriMet passenger and a MAX train that resulted in the passenger becoming stuck,” Gibbs said.

“This is an issue of public safety. Whether or not this portion of the video would unreasonably invade the family’s privacy, I find that petitioner has established by clear and convincing evidence that the public interest requires its disclosure in this instance.”

After the footage was released, TriMet released a statement.

“Our hearts go out to the loved ones of Mr. Edwards. This was a unique incident, and TriMet has taken additional steps to prevent this from ever occurring again,” TriMet stated.

 

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