Teenager causes train crash for YouTube fame, faces felony charges

The lengths people are willing to go just to create content for social media have officially gone too far. A 17-year-old Nebraska teen is facing felony charges after allegedly causing a train derailment in April. Why? To capture the incident on video!

The teenager appeared in Lancaster County Juvenile Court on Wednesday, but prosecutors are seeking to transfer the case to adult court. The incident occurred in the small town of Bennet when a BNSF Railway train collided with an empty coal car after a misaligned switch diverted it onto the wrong track. While no injuries were reported, the crash caused an estimated $350,000 in damages to two locomotives and five rail cars.

A BNSF Railway police investigator, Thomas McCaslin, alleges that the teen is a self-proclaimed “railfan” with extensive knowledge of the railway system. Surveillance footage shows a tripod set up near the accident site just minutes before the crash.

The teen is accused of intentionally misaligning the switch, causing the derailment. To further incriminate himself, he posted a video of the incident to YouTube, boasting about capturing the “most insane video” he’d ever taken. The video was uploaded to the now-deleted channel ZUnit06, allegedly linked to the teen. The channel reportedly featured numerous train-related content.

Authorities are investigating the full extent of the teenager’s involvement in the incident and the potential for any accomplices. The case has raised concerns about the dangers of reckless behavior, particularly when involving public transportation and infrastructure.

[via PetaPixel]

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