An Essex Junction, Vt., man was struck and killed by a train Tuesday night near the town’s Five Corners, according to police.

A police press release said they found Shiloh Malzac, 44, dead on the tracks near Railroad Street early Wednesday morning.

According to police, Malzac was struck by a southbound New England Central Railroad freight train that passed through the area just before midnight Tuesday.

“The train engineer was unaware of the incident and the train continued to its destination without stopping,” Essex police said in the release, adding that the train operator had been notified and was cooperating with the investigation.

Police shut down Railroad Street in Essex Junction for nearly four hours while investigators worked at the scene. Malzac’s body was taken to the Chief Medical Examiner’s Office for an autopsy.

The investigation remains open, and Essex police are asking anyone who was in the area or may have witnessed the incident to contact police.

This story was republished with permission from VtDigger, which offers its reporting at no cost to local news organizations through its Community News Sharing Project. To support this work, please visit vtdigger.org/donate.