6:14 PM: A man was arrested today after causing major delays during this morning’s commute when he climbed on top of a BART train and effectively shut down the MacArthur station in Oakland, BART officials said.
Rodney Jenkins, 29, (pictured above) was arrested on suspicion of interfering with a railroad and on an outstanding arrest warrant and for violating parole.
BART police said around 5:30 a.m. he jumped on top of the station and once he came down he climbed onto three separate BART trains, which had been stopped. He then continued running around and jumped a fence and went onto a nearby roadway.
The California Highway Patrol had to briefly shut down some lanes on state Highway 24.
BART shut down power to trains in the station and also to the tracks to prevent the man from hurting himself.
With the tracks powered down, trains could not pass through the station, and riders were held on the stopped trains, officials said.
The man was finally detained at 7:12 a.m., officials said.
By 10 a.m., residual delays from the stopped trains had ended and BART service was back on time, officials said.
Kiana Lunasco, a passenger at the MacArthur station this morning, said the man climbed on top of her train around 6:30 a.m.
“He jumped the fence and ran onto the freeway,” she wrote in a tweet.
BART’s morning was further complicated when a train broke down, disrupting service coming out of Richmond.
12:10 PM: After a hectic morning that involved a man climbing on top of a BART train and effectively shutting down the MacArthur station, BART service is back on schedule, a BART spokeswoman said late this morning.
BART officials learned there was a man on the roof of the station around 5:30 a.m., spokeswoman Luna Salaver said. Authorities talked him down, but then “he started running around,” she said.
The man went onto the tracks, climbed on top of a train, and also ran onto nearby state Highway 24, causing the California Highway Patrol to briefly shut down some lanes.
BART shut down power to the train and also to the tracks to prevent the man from hurting himself, Salaver said.
With the tracks powered down, trains could not pass through the station, and riders were held on the stopped trains, she said.
The man was finally detained at 7:12 a.m., Salaver said.
The 29-year-old man is being mentally evaluated and faces possible arrest after he is observed, Salaver said.
By 10 a.m., residual delays from the stopped trains had ended and BART service was back on time, Salaver said.
Kiana Lunasco, a passenger at the MacArthur station this morning, said the man climbed on top of her train around 6:30 a.m.
“He jumped the fence and ran onto the freeway,” she wrote in a tweet.
BART’s morning was further complicated when a train broke down, disrupting service coming out of Richmond.
8 AM: Authorities have detained a man who threw a monkey wrench in today’s morning commute by running around the MacArthur BART station and prompting the station’s closure.
The problem began shortly before 5:30 a.m. when BART learned there was a man on the roof of the station, BART spokeswoman Luna Salaver said.
Authorities talked him down, but then “he started running around,” Salaver said.
Elsewhere
Major BART delays near MacArthur; one detained [Chron]
Man Walking On Tracks Causes Major Delays At MacArthur BART Station [CBS5]
The man went onto the tracks, climbed on top of a train, and also ran onto nearby state Highway 24, causing the California Highway Patrol to briefly shut down some lanes.
BART shut down power to the train the man jumped on and also to the tracks to prevent him from hurting himself, Salaver said.
With the tracks powered down, trains could not pass through the station, and riders were held on the stopped trains, she said.
The man was finally detained at 7:12 a.m., Salaver said.
Now that he is in custody, trains are again moving through the MacArthur station again but there were still major delays as of 7:30 a.m.
Salaver said riders should expect delays of up to 40 minutes, especially coming from San Francisco to the East Bay as all the backed-up westbound trains make their turnarounds.
The incident also slowed the commute for drivers on Highway 24, where westbound traffic was backed up to the Caldecott Tunnel.
BART trains are getting back on schedule, but Salaver said at 7:45 a.m. that a new problem had arisen involving a disabled train in the Berkeley area. She said that is slowing BART trains heading away from Richmond.
6:54 AM: A man walking on the tracks and climbing on top of trains near the MacArthur BART station in Oakland is causing BART trains to be delayed in all directions this morning, according to BART officials.
As of about 6:45 a.m., BART trains traveling in all directions will be delayed by about 15 minutes or until the man is safely removed from the tracks, BART officials said.
Hannah Albarazi, Bay City News
