Paranoid man tried to derail train by parking stolen trucks on tracks in Pennsylvania
SPRINGDALE, Pa. — A 34-year-old man is facing multiple felony charges after allegedly stealing two tractor-trailers and attempting to derail a train by parking them on railroad tracks in a residential area earlier this month.
According to TribLive, police say Scott Andrew Heffner of Friendship, New York, stole two trucks from PPG Paints’ Springdale facility before dawn on November 3. Officers found a 2018 Freightliner owned by GetGo Transportation parked in drive along South Railroad Street and a 2023 Kalmar yard tractor with a trailer left across Colfax Street on the railroad tracks.
Security footage showed Heffner driving a Toyota Prius registered to his mother, entering the PPG lot multiple times between 12:30 a.m. and 2 a.m. Police said they later found an open electrical panel at the rear of the building.
During questioning, Heffner admitted to moving the trucks and told officers “his phone was talking to him,” instructing him to park the tractor-trailers on the tracks and cut power to the building. He also claimed he was being watched by the government and that agents were trying to kill him.
A friend told police that Heffner appeared paranoid and believed he was being watched before the incident.
Heffner was charged with felony counts of causing or risking a catastrophe, theft, and receiving stolen property, along with misdemeanor counts of unauthorized vehicle use, loitering, and prowling at night. He also faces trespassing charges.
Heffner was denied bail and is being held in the Allegheny County Jail as a “threat and danger to the community.” A preliminary hearing is scheduled for November 17.
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