Jeffery Bellinger, 13, fatally struck by freight train in Cedar Lake

CEDAR LAKE, Ind. (WLS) -- A teenage boy was struck and killed by a freight train while walking home from school on Tuesday afternoon in Cedar Lake, police said.

The Lake County Coroner identified him late Tuesday as Jeffery Bellinger, 13. His death was ruled an accident.

Cedar Lake police said the boy was found dead at the scene after witnesses said he had been walking northbound alongside the tracks with a hooded sweatshirt pulled over his head.

Police said the train sounded its horn, but it's believed the victim was wearing ear phones and didn't hear the train coming. Police said it appears the boy was taking a shortcut home from school.

Police said a school resource officer helped identify the victim as a student at Hanover Central Middle School in Cedar Lake.