Incident location, Long Island
What Happened
Prenell Rousseau, 30, of Farmingdale, was struck and killed by a Long Island Rail Road train in Westbury early Wednesday morning at approximately 5:38 a.m., according to local officials. Police said Rousseau had been jogging near the tracks at the time of the fatal incident, and his death is currently being treated as an accident, The Post reported.
Rousseau was widely known for his history of stalking pop star Billie Eilish, first coming to public attention in 2020 when he repeatedly appeared at the singer’s Los Angeles home. His persistent and erratic behavior during multiple visits in May 2020 prompted Eilish and her family to obtain a restraining order against him, with court documents describing increasingly disturbing encounters that left the family shaken.
The stalking incidents began when Rousseau first appeared at Eilish’s family home, ringing the doorbell and asking her father, Patrick O’Connell, through the Ring camera whether the singer lived there. Despite Patrick telling him he had the wrong address, Rousseau returned later that same evening, beginning a pattern of repeated visits on May 4 and 5, 2020. Court filings revealed that during one encounter, O’Connell reportedly spoke to Rousseau at the door, and Rousseau allegedly admitted he might have the wrong house, only to return later the same day.
The court documents detailed increasingly unsettling behavior during Rousseau’s multiple appearances at the home Eilish shared with her parents. At one point, he sat on the family’s porch reading a book while talking to himself, ignoring repeated requests from Patrick to leave the property. When private security personnel arrived to remove him, he reluctantly departed but returned again that same night, lying behind a wall as if planning to stay there overnight.
Eilish’s attorney, Mark D. Passin, initially requested a five-year restraining order against Rousseau, but Judge Gould-Saltman ultimately issued a three-year protective order. The judge noted that the restraining order could be extended if Rousseau attempted any further contact with the singer or her family. Eilish described the incidents in the court filings as “frightening,” emphasizing the significant strain the repeated intrusions placed on her and her family members.
The family’s fear was compounded by Rousseau’s disregard for basic COVID-19 safety precautions during the height of the pandemic. According to court documents, he failed to wear a face mask during five of his visits to the property and repeatedly touched the doorbell and doorknobs with bare hands, heightening the family’s sense of intrusion and health concerns during a time of heightened awareness about virus transmission.
Despite the legal restraining order in place, Rousseau’s persistence and unpredictable behavior made the encounters deeply unsettling for the Eilish family. His social media presence also contained disturbing content related to the singer, with his Instagram account featuring unsettling posts including a drawing resembling Eilish alongside a cryptic message that read: “Anyway — I love u b … that is all.”
The fatal train strike occurred nearly six years after the initial stalking incidents that brought Rousseau to public attention. Police officials have not indicated whether the early morning jogging activity near the railroad tracks was connected to any ongoing issues or whether Rousseau had attempted to resume contact with Eilish or her family in recent years.
Location & Road Context
The fatal incident occurred on Long Island Rail Road tracks in Westbury, a Nassau County community located in the heart of Long Island. Westbury serves as a significant transportation hub, with the LIRR Westbury station being one of the busier stations on the railroad’s network, handling both passenger service and freight operations throughout the day and night.
The area where the incident occurred sees regular train traffic as part of the LIRR’s extensive commuter network serving hundreds of thousands of passengers daily between Long Island communities and New York City. Early morning hours typically see the beginning of rush hour service, with trains operating at regular intervals to accommodate commuters heading to work.
Investigation & Legal Proceedings
Local authorities are continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding Rousseau’s death, though preliminary findings suggest the incident was accidental. The determination that Rousseau was jogging near the tracks at the time of impact supports the accidental classification, though investigators will likely examine all aspects of the case given his troubled history.
The 2020 restraining order obtained by the Eilish family had been set to expire in 2023, and there are no current indications that Rousseau had violated the terms of that order or attempted renewed contact with the singer in recent years. The case serves as a tragic conclusion to what began as a serious stalking situation that required legal intervention to protect the Grammy-winning artist and her family from persistent harassment.