Delco M.E. alters ruling in teen death

The Delaware County Medical Examiner has officially changed his findings on the cause of death of a Drexel Hill teen who was hit by a SEPTA trolley on Saturday from "accidental" to "pending."

Upper Darby Police Superintendent Michael Chitwood said he was mystified as to why the examiner, Dr. Fredric N. Hellman, ruled the death accidental before police finished investigating.

"My question is: How did the young man get on the tracks?" Chitwood said.

"Was it foul play, drugs, alcohol or suicide?"

Kyle Fish, 14, was found dead about 11 p.m. on SEPTA's 102 trolley tracks near Hillcrest Road and Harper Avenue in Drexel Hill.

Chitwood said that "a lot" of rumors have been flying around the community that the death was related to foul play.

Police are following up on all leads, he said.

When Fish was found, his body was bare-chested.

On the track next to him, police found two T-shirts - one with the image of a skull and another with just the letter "F" printed on the front.

Chitwood said he interviewed the last people who were believed to have seen Fish alive - a teenage boy and girl around Fish's age.

The two claim they were walking with Fish along the tracks when he told them he had to go to the bushes and use the bathroom.

That was the last time they saw him, Chitwood said.

"It's certainly a case that's not cut and dry," he said.

Hellman released his initial "accidental" finding Sunday night, although toxicology reports remain pending.

But he said that his office had not submitted the death certificate before he decided to switch the manner of death back to "pending."

Hellman declined to say what facts he initially based the "accidental" ruling on, citing the pending investigation.

The ruling listed the cause of death as "multiple blunt force injuries, with high neck and intracerebral trauma." *