The Press of Atlantic City With The Latest

By Eric Conklin

HAMILTON TOWNSHIP — Filmmakers are moving forward with a second documentary about the death of Tiffany Valiante, a township teenager who died when she was hit by a train in 2015.
Family and advocates believe Valiante fell victim to foul play and did not commit suicide.
Her case caught the attention of Marie McGovern and Martin Dunn, two former journalists at the New York Daily News who are planning a “multipart” series on the story. Both have produced content featured on HBO and Fox.
“As we looked at it more and more, much like a lot of folks who have looked, sat down and read through all of the information that’s available, it left us with more questions than answers,” McGovern said.
 
The duo became fascinated with Valiante’s death and her family’s fight for answers, and began to film about 18 months ago.

 About 16 million to 17 million people worldwide have already come to know Valiante’s story through the Netflix documentary series “Unsolved Mysteries,” which examined the case as part of its most recent season, said Paul D’Amato, the family’s attorney.

“It opened a lot of people’s eyes,” said Tiffany’s father, Stephen Valiante. “Everybody heard this nit-bit, little piece here, little piece there, but they never knew the whole story until they watched it.”
The “Unsolved Mysteries” production crew spent three weeks in South Jersey filming, said filmmaker Skye Borgman, who directed the episode.
 
“We’re also really concerned with people in these stories,” Borgman said of the documentary series and the fight for more clarity in the case.

The oddities of the suicide ruling also fueled interest, she said.
 
“It was so mysterious, it was confusing and it’s so emotional,” Borgman said.
Valiante’s home was filled with about 70 people recently to remember her on the eighth anniversary of her death.

Eight years ago, she was weeks away from preparing to study at Mercy College along the Hudson River in New York, where she was planning to play volleyball.

Instead, countless stories have been written about what happened on July 12, 2015. Officials ruled her death a suicide, saying she jumped in front of a speeding passenger train.
 
Her parents continue to be critical of NJ Transit’s probe into the teen’s death, frequently approaching the agency’s Board of Directors requesting internal reviews of their investigative procedures. The company has yet to consider their requests.

 NJ Transit declined to comment for this story.
 
D’Amato’s law firm is working on following several “strong leads” that could lead to more information about the teenager’s death. D’Amato is keeping those leads confidential to protect his work, he said.
“I have a strong belief that something is going to break this year, I truly do,” D’Amato said, seated earlier this month in his Northfield law office’s conference room beside Stephen and Dianne Valiante.
 
Tiffany Valiante left a graduation party across the street from her home before she was struck by the train about four miles from her home.
 
The train was minutes from the Absecon station on its way to Atlantic City when, near mile marker 45, on a section of track deep in the woods, it struck the teenager.
Many people who knew Valiante have told D’Amato she didn’t exhibit any signs of considering suicide. They’ve also questioned the theory that she walked to the location because of its distance from her house and because her shoes were found beside Tilton Road not far from her home, he said.
 
Without new evidence, the case can’t be reopened, D’Amato said. A private investigation remains ongoing, searching for any leads that can bring the case back to law enforcement, D’Amato said.
 
Countless pieces of information, such as suggestions on where to take the case, have come in, D’Amato said. Foreign investigation entities also have contacted the D’Amato Law Firm, offering their services.
“We’re going to be contacting a lot of individuals,” D’Amato said.

Meanwhile, Valiante’s family still mourns. Tiffany is in pictures scattered throughout her parents’ home.
 
The 70 people who gathered at the Valiante home nearly two weeks ago held a candlelight vigil, circling a volleyball net in the family’s backyard. The crowd also broke out into teams for games of volleyball in memory of Tiffany.
 
While Valiante’s story remains in the spotlight, her parents find ways to cope with the loss. They often take trips to a campground in New York state. Having little cellphone service helps them take a break from their daily lives, Dianne Valiante said.
 
Both Stephen and Dianne Valiante say their daughter appears to them, such as in April, when they were preparing to vacation in Costa Rica.
They were being taken by car to an airport in New York from Connecticut. On their way, they passed through Mercy College.
“It was her saying, ‘Hi, Mom,’” Dianne Valiante said.