SALISBURY — A Salisbury man was hit and killed by a train overnight near downtown while walking along the tracks, police say.

According to a spokesperson for the Salisbury Police Department, the accident occurred around 12:45 a.m. on Friday. A train was heading down the tracks when it struck and killed a man near the Military Avenue crossing.

The man was identified as 64-year-old Robert Arlen Auger Jr., of Salisbury. Police say Auger was simply walking down the tracks when the train hit him. The spokesperson said that Auger was dead by the time emergency responders arrived on scene.

An initial police investigation revealed no signs of foul play in Auger’s death. Police do think alcohol was involved in the incident, and the investigation is ongoing.

After a similar incident that occurred in July of 2023, a spokesperson for the department said that preventing incidents like the one on Friday morning presents a unique challenge for law enforcement due to the large amount of area where pedestrians can cross or walk on railroads. Walking down a railroad track is legally trespassing, but given the extensive amount of property the tracks cover, law enforcement struggles to monitor that kind of activity.