When Natece Ceaser received the news that her little brother had been killed while working at the rail yard in Bedford Park, she couldn’t accept what she heard.
“I couldn’t believe it until I was actually able to see my brother’s face. I was hoping and praying,” she said.
Jacory Ceaser, 24, was fatally crushed between two metal chassis at the suburban CSX Bedford Park Intermodal Yard early Saturday.
The family lost a calm, humble son and brother who worked hard and stood strong for his loved ones, his sister told the Tribune.
“He was a very smart, open-minded young man. Hardworking. He loved his family. He loved to supervise and watch over,” Natece Ceaser said Monday.
Jacory Ceaser worked several jobs as a contractor, including as a security guard and groundsman at the rail yard southwest of Chicago, where he had been transferred a few months earlier.
He would often tell his sister and “best friend” about his plans to start operating vending machines. But his real dream, Natece Ceaser said, was to buy their mother a house.
“He was just a protector to the family,” she said, adding that her brother, younger by 10 years, often made her feel like the little sister.
Jacory Ceaser played baseball and football at Butler College Prep High School. His birthday fell on Dec. 25, his sister said.
“When Christmas came, it was all about him,” she said.
This year, there were too many people fit into the house, and the party overflowed. They had a gift exchange and played games. The close-knit family had hoped to travel to celebrate his upcoming milestone 25th birthday, Natece Ceaser said.
“Everybody loved him. Everybody knew, if it was something going on, he was going to be right there,” she said.
Family members held a balloon release Saturday evening as they grappled with his death, which occurred around 12:30 a.m. that same day. His sister said they plan to hold a funeral this Saturday.
The rail yard worker enjoyed his job, often picking up shifts or staying late, she said. The family hadn’t heard much from rail operator CSX and plans to get an incident report describing what happened later in the week, she added.
“I just really want to know, what did my brother feel in that moment,” Natece Ceaser said.
Bedford Park police and CSX did not immediately respond to the Tribune’s request for more information about the fatal workplace injury Monday. A CSX spokesperson told the Tribune on Saturday the company was investigating the death.
Natece Ceaser recalled her brother being born weeks premature. When he came home, he was connected to a machine, and she’d run to it when it made noise, she said.
She said she is trying hard to not cry in front of her mother. Her brother would’ve been strong for her, she added.
