Fort Lauderdale

Man Found Dead on Fort Lauderdale Train Tracks was Stabbed, Suspect Arrested

Jonathan Church, 54, facing murder charge in Wednesday stabbing, police say

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A fight on a Broward County bus ended in a fatal stabbing on train tracks in Fort Lauderdale and a suspect behind bars, police said.

Fort Lauderdale Police said they discovered the body on the tracks near Northeast 4th Avenue and Progresso Drive Wednesday morning.

According to police, the victim had been involved in an altercation with 54-year-old Jonathan Church on a Broward bus that continued after they both exited the bus.

At one point, Church pulled out a knife and the victim tried to run away but was unable due to a passing train, police said.

Broward Sheriff's Office
Jonathan Church

Church caught up to the victim and stabbed him to death, police said. The victim's name hasn't been released.

Police said Church initially told investigators he was a victim and was attacked by a man on a bus.

But according to an arrest report, a nearby witness had dashcam video of Church allegedly stabbing the other man multiple times.

When police arrested Church, they found a knife in his pocket, the report said.

Church, of Hollywood, was booked into the Broward jail on a murder charge. He appeared in court Thursday, where a judge ordered him held without bond.

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