A tragic accident took the life of a University of Miami student early Thursday morning. Senior John Patrick Warnecke (called “Military John” and “Baby John” by his friends) died after his minivan hit a moving train at Bird Road and 72nd Avenue.
According to an article in The Miami Herald, at around 3:15 a.m. on Thursday, John came to a railroad crossing where a black Chrysler Pacifica was stopped, the gates were down and the lights were flashing as a train approached.
For reasons still unknown, John didn’t stop when he reached the intersection, clipping the Pacifica and hitting the moving train with his minivan. He was killed instantly.
A self-described “military brat,” John lived in Maryland, Virginia, California and Puerto Rico before coming to UM. His favorite place was Puerto Rico, and he often told stories about how his bedroom window looked out to the ocean, and how he could hear loud Coqu