ROSEVILLE–

Riding the rails. Whether you are a teenager or a senior citizen it’s still a very popular way of life. But it may have cost a Southern California man his life.

Police say 19-year-old John Alpert of Palmdale was murdered here last March. His body discovered near the tracks back in May. The coroner listing blunt-force trauma as the cause. Alpert had just started riding the rails a few weeks before his death.

“By all indications this was a good, young man,” said Lt. Michael Doane with Roseville Police. “He wanted to take an adventure by riding the rails.”

Police warn there are many dangers involved with rail hopping. Assault and murder are among them. They also say some in the rail hopping community don’t take too kindly to those looking for adventure.

“There’s just not a lot of fear of getting caught,” explained Officer David Flood with Roseville Police. “You don’t know what the person next to you may be running from, or may be willing to do to not get caught.”