Belleville woman struck by MetroLink train remembered as loving, caring friend

Jennifer McDonnell, who was struck and killed by a MetroLink train Sunday, was a beloved member of the metro-east running community.

The 52-year-old Belleville woman was “kind, caring and a fun-loving person who was full of life and absolutely loved running,” said Sarah West, a member of the Belleville Running Club.

“She will be dearly missed by her running community,” West said.

McDonnell was jogging with her dog when she was struck by an eastbound MetroLink train in Swansea on Sunday around 10:50 a.m.

Authorities determined “the female pedestrian tried to cross the track while the crossing gates were down and functioning properly,” Swansea Police Chief Matthew Blomberg stated in a press release. Swansea police, with assistance from the St. Clair County Sheriff’s Department, investigated.

Officers found McDonnell’s body at 2810 Caseyville Road, north of Illinois Route 161. They located her dog unharmed.

Kevin Horcher, a friend of McDonnell, said he met her about 10 years ago at a race.

He described her as “a great, fun person to be around. She loved running and loved running with her dog more than anything.”

“Obviously that was what she was doing at the time of her accident. She loved her family, her sister, her dad. She was a big race person. Jennifer, me and my wife Penny would go to a lot of races together. We traveled together, and had lots of good times together after the races,” Horcher said.

“Jennifer was 100% serious. She was a great competitor, a great runner. She won a lot of races. Just a wonderful good-hearted person,” he said.

Horcher said he was at a loss for words to describe the empty feeling when he heard the news from other running friends.

“I got a couple of texts with Swansea’s police report saying they didn’t know who it was yet,” Horcher said. “From the description, it was pretty obvious it was Jennifer.

“Actually my wife and I were on the way to the Swansea Police Department with some pictures. We were pretty sure it was her. We wanted to take some pictures to show the police, in case that would help them. As we pulled into the parking lot, Jennifer’s sister called us. We got it directly from her sister, but we were pretty sure before that.”

Horcher said the last time he saw his friend was New Year’s Day at a 5K race. “She won first in her age group at that race. She had a real good run that day.

“She was always happy and upbeat, but when she won she was even more upbeat. Jennifer, my wife and me went out to eat after the race,” Horcher said.

He said he will keep his friend’s legacy alive by continuing to run.

“I am not at her level. But every race I run there is no way I won’t be thinking about her, especially with the Belleville race coming up this year, “ he said. “Jennifer has run every Belleville marathon. This will be the first one she won’t be at. It will really sink in at that race that she is missing her first Belleville marathon.”

Traveling to races without McDonnell will be particularly difficult.

“It’s going to take a while to get over this. We will never be able to get over it, but to get to some kind of comfort level, it will take us a while.”

On Sunday night, Metro Transit released a statement from Taulby Roach, president and chief executive officer of Bi-State Development. Bi-State operates the region’s transportation service.

“All of us at Metro Transit and the Bi-State Development Board of Commissioners express our sincerest condolences to the family and loved ones of the person who lost her life in this tragic incident. We understand the gravity of this situation and are fully cooperating with the authorities in the ongoing investigation to understand the cause.”

This story was originally published January 17, 2023 at 10:39 AM.