The coal train derailed in Bennet, Nebraska and collided with an empty car, resulting in an estimated $350,000 in damages.
Capitol City Rail Productions/YouTubeThe moment of impact, when the BNSF train derailed and collided with a parked car.
A teenager in Nebraska has been charged with criminal mischief after allegedly derailing a train on purpose in order to upload the footage to YouTube.
The video, titled “Loaded BNSF Arbor COLLIDES and DERAILS in Bennet, NE! MOST INSANE VIDEO I’VE EVER TAKEN!” was posted to the channel Capitol City Rail Productions on April 23, 2024. It has since amassed over 625,000 views on the platform. Now, it could possibly serve as evidence in the case against the teen.
The Nebraska Teen Captured Footage Of The Derailment And Showed Investigators
As The New York Times reported, the train derailment occurred on April 21, just two days before the footage was uploaded to YouTube.
According to an affidavit, officials with BNSF railways were made aware of the derailment around 6:10 p.m. on April 21. The incident involved two locomotives and five rail cars, which derailed but remained upright.
The locomotives then struck an empty coal car that was parked along the siding. In total, the affidavit said the derailment caused around $150,000 in damages to Omaha Public Power District property and an additional $200,000 in damages to BNSF property.
Shortly after investigators arrived at the scene, they were approached by the teenager, who reportedly asked what happened. When the investigator responded that they had not yet identified the cause of the derailment, the teen replied, “Obviously, a switch was flipped the wrong way.”
The teenager was then able to explain how railroad switches work to the investigator.
The train’s conductor corroborated this version of events, telling a different investigator later that same night that a railroad switch had indeed been misaligned, causing the train to turn onto the wrong track. In the affidavit, the conductor explains that the train went into an emergency stop, but could not stop before it went through the switch location.
BNSF Railway investigator Thomas McCaslin told the Times that the switch was supposed to be locked with a padlock to prevent it from being moved. However, on the day of the incident, the padlock was missing, suggesting it had been tampered with.
The teenager also told investigators that he had captured footage of the derailment on his phone, and even showed them the video. As he reportedly explained, he is a fan of trains and regularly films them for his YouTube channel.
But while reviewing security footage from the area, investigators noticed something suspicious: a person walking toward the railway switch shortly before the incident occurred.
Security Footage Allegedly Shows Someone Tampering With The Rail Switch
Capitol City Rail Productions/YouTubeFootage showing the aftermath of the train derailment.
While reviewing security footage from the day of the derailment, investigators observed a person walking toward the railroad switch, then disappearing from the camera’s view. According to the affidavit, just a few minutes later, that same person can be seen “running and walking back” to a nearby car.
Footage from a different angle shows that exact same car, with the teenager inside it. In the footage, he then parks the car and sets up his tripod to film the train’s arrival.
Now, the teenager faces two felony counts of criminal mischief for intentionally damaging or tampering with property, according to court documents. He was charged in juvenile court, but prosecutors have asked for his case to be moved to adult court.
After reading about this wild stunt allegedly pulled for YouTube clout, read about Trevor Jacob, the man who admitted to intentionally crashing a plane for YouTube views. Then, explore New York City’s abandoned City Hall subway station.
