1st funeral set for victim of Amtrak derailment

May 15, 2015 12:00 am • Last Updated: May 15, 2015 6:37 am

This undated photo provided by the U.S. Naval Academy shows Justin Zemser. Zemser, on a break from the U.S. Naval Academy and heading home to Rockaway Beach, New York, was among those killed when an Amtrak passenger train derailed Tuesday, May 12, 2015, in Philadelphia.(U.S. Naval Academy via AP)

PHILADELPHIA — Mourners are preparing to remember one of the eight people killed in this week's Amtrak derailment in Philadelphia while the investigation into the crash continues.

Friday morning's service for U.S. Naval Academy Midshipman Justin Zemser will take place in New York on Long Island. The 20-year-old sophomore was traveling home to New York City when he was killed in Tuesday's accident.

Meanwhile, the National Transportation Safety Board is trying to determine if the engineer manually increased speed on the train as it accelerated for a full minute before it went off the tracks.

Service resumed Friday on New Jersey Transit's Atlantic City Rail Line between Philadelphia and Cherry Hill. It had been suspended after the crash.

Amtrak trains are now running as scheduled between New York and Boston, with modified service between Washington and Philadelphia.

From left, Naval Academy Rabbi Josh Sherwin, Midshipman Nick Abramson and Vice Adm. Walter “Ted” Carter, the academy’s superintendent, remember Midshipman Justin Zemser, during a news conference on Thursday, May 14, 2015 at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md. Abramson, a sprint football teammate of Zemser, recalled his friend as an inspiring presence on and off the field. Zemser, on a break from the U.S. Naval Academy was among those killed when an Amtrak passenger train derailed Tuesday in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Brian Witte)

Comment threads are monitored for 48 hours after publication and then closed.

STORIES THAT MAY INTEREST YOU