Video Shows Train Bandits Looting Cargo in California
Viral footage captures thieves raiding freight trains in Southern California, raising concerns amid a recent uptick in such incidents.
Dramatic video has surfaced capturing what appear to be thieves raiding freight trains in Southern California, with one clip showing a crew tossing packages from a stopped train onto the ground and loading them into vehicles. Another video shows a person filming while standing aboard a moving train next to stacks of cargo.
The exact locations of these videos, posted on August 21 and September 12, are unclear. However, railroad corridors in Southern California, particularly those passing through San Bernardino County, have recently become targets for such activities. Local law enforcement has made arrests in connection with these incidents.
Earlier in September, the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department arrested two men, Eddiel Burgos, 30, and Pastor Pena Lerma, 43, on the Twentynine Palms Highway near Yucca Valley. The arrests followed an observation by an off-duty officer of a white box truck matching the description of one used in a train heist in Amboy. The two men were booked into the Morongo Basin Jail on charges of commercial burglary and grand theft of cargo valued over $950.
This incident reportedly began on September 4 around 9:45 p.m. when BNSF Railway investigators alerted deputies to a large-scale burglary in progress near Amboy. Investigators reported that an organized crew, using an estimated 15 to 20 vehicles including white box trucks, had breached freight containers. The thieves made off with approximately $50,000 worth of cargo, primarily consisting of Ariat brand boots and DeWalt construction power tools, according to authorities.
In a separate incident last month, armed individuals reportedly opened fire on a San Bernardino County train as it traveled through a mountainous area. The group fired on officers from the Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway just before 6:30 p.m. in what authorities described as an apparent attempt to rob the train. This occurred as the train made its way through the Cajon Pass, a pass situated between the San Bernardino and San Gabriel mountains, approximately 20 miles northwest of San Bernardino.