Riley Branstrom’s Body Likely Discovered Near Train Tracks

The search for a missing New Jersey young adult again ends in tragedy with the discovery of what police say is likely the body of 18-year-old Riley Branstrom along the train tracks near the Princeton Junction train station on Friday morning.

West Windsor Police say that the body of a white male hit by a high speed passenger train discovered about 2 miles south of the train station appears to be that of the East Windsor resident who had been missing since Monday.

"There's no positive indication yet, but every preliminary indication is it could be him," West Windsor Lt. Brian Melnick told the Times of Trenton. The body "meets all the physical characteristics" of Branstrom.

The engineer of an Amtrak train reported hitting something on Monday thought to be an animal.  Police are trying to get video from cameras on board the train.

The Mercer County Medical Examiner will make a positive identification of the body early next week.

Branstrom was last seen at Hightstown High School, the school he graduated from in 2012. His cell phone was tracked to Monmouth Battlefield State park in Freehold on Monday but police had not been able to track his cell phone since.

His truck was found at the Princeton Junction train station on Thursday locked and unoccupied. The Mercer County Sheriff's Department early Friday morning searched the tracks around the station with search dogs according to the Times of Trenton.

The search resulted in delays on Amtrak and NJ Transit service on the Northeast Corridor line.

Anyone with information about Branstrom should contact the East Windsor Police Department at 609-448-5678.