Those involved with filming fitness expert Greg Plitt Jr. before he was struck and killed by a Metrolink train on Saturday said they were unaware the Bravo reality-TV star intended to run on the train’s tracks for the sports -drink promo, Burbank police said.
The 37-year-old former Calvin Klein model, actor and fitness trainer, who lived in Burbank, was struck about 4:05 p.m. Saturday by a Metrolink southbound train approaching the Burbank station.
“In conversations with the witnesses (involved with the filming), the detective that spoke with them said there was never any type of communication that Mr. Plitt was going to be running between the rails,” Burbank Police Department Officer Joshua Kendrick said this week.
“They were shooting a workout sports drink video, and that was going to be near or around the tracks but at no time did he make mention to them of running between the rails.”
Police have no reason to believe these witnesses would be lying, Kendrick said, adding that there were two or three people with Plitt who were involved or present for the filming. “We hope that they would be honest and up front with us.”
The investigation continues, Kendrick said, and it will be determined whether or not criminal charges will be submitted to the D.A.’s office. He could not say whether Plitt was filming the promo for himself or at the behest of another company.
Police have reviewed the footage taken at the scene,” Kendrick said, which confirmed that Plitt “at some point steps on the tracks, sees the train coming and starts to run.” It also shows that he neither tripped nor fell while running on the tracks, something they couldn’t ascertain with the Metrolink train video because of the angle of that camera.
The L.A. County District Attorney’s office is assisting the Burbank Police Department and the state’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) in their investigations of Plitt’s death, said spokeswoman Jane Robison.
“Cal-OSHA is looking into it, but we’re still waiting to find out if there was an employee-employer relationship in this case,” said Cal-OSHA spokeswoman Kathleen Hennessy. If Plitt was acting on his own, she added, there would be no need for a probe.
Plitt did not request a permit, which is required for filming at Metrolink stations or their right of way to protect the safety of everyone involved, said Metrolink spokesman Jeff Lustgarten. The process involves a site check to better understand the nature of the shoot, and participants all receive a detailed safety briefing. A flagman is also required to be present for the entirety of the shoot to warn everyone of oncoming trains.
“It’s very tragic,” Lustgarten said. “It was definitely preventable. I can’t see a scenario where we would have allowed a shoot of someone running from a moving train. That’s probably why they didn’t seek authorization for it, because they didn’t get it.”
A public memorial is scheduled for 2 p.m. Saturday at the Church of the Good Shepherd, 505 N. Bedford Dr., Beverly Hills. While not a member of the church, Plitt visited often, as did his mother when she was in town, said a representative from the parish.
Plitt, a former captain and ranger in the U.S. Army, broke records by being on a fitness magazine cover every month for five straight years, according to his bio. Also a motivational speaker, he starred in Bravo’s “Work Out” reality show and was due to appear in an upcoming episode of the network’s “Friends to Lovers.”
