1 month ago
Last Updated: October 12, 2024, 13:22 IST
Washington D.C., United States of America (USA)
The looting and raiding of the freight trains went on for several hours. (Screengrab)
The freight train was parked on the Union Pacific tracks north of Lake Street and south of Kinzie Street—along a stretch of track running at least from Cicero Avenue to Laramie Avenue.
In a brazen display of lawlessness in the US city of Chicago, several men looted a parked freight train in broad daylight on Friday and absconded with goods ranging from televisions to air fryers.
The incident occurred on Union Pacific tracks situated between Lake and Kinzie Streets, spanning an area from Cicero to Laramie Avenue, US-based news outlet CBS reported. On Friday afternoon, the miscreants gained access to the train, reportedly bypassing security measures to reach the cargo. Over several hours, they ransacked boxcars, leaving a trail of destruction in their wake.
Ransacked boxcars
WGN-TV in Chicago started covering a train heist about an hour ago, and over time, more people have shown up to steal things from the stopped freight train (maybe because the network is telling viewers the exact location of the rail cars). https://t.co/DGpHJnsiZF pic.twitter.com/z8FPZlYZU3— TheDesk.net (@TheDeskDotNet) October 11, 2024
BREAKING: Thieves rob a train in Chicago, Illinois, taking dozens if not hundreds of boxes off of the stopped freight train.“UPW inbound and outbound trains are stopped near Kedzie due to police activity,” Metra reported.
Police arrived and were seen pulling out their weapons… pic.twitter.com/tiNYQF1qFn
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) October 11, 2024
Westside Chicago Container train.This container train is easily 2 miles long.
Dozen(s) of Containers with seals cut.
Train must be setting for Crew change.
Terrible location to run out of time. pic.twitter.com/xpS4jNqY28
— ThePunchbowlTM (@PunchbowlTm) October 11, 2024
‘I was shocked, honestly’
Alarmed residents witnessed the unfolding scene, reporting the incident to authorities. The incident caused significant disruption to rail traffic, with Union Pacific West Metra trains halted near Kedzie Avenue. “I was shocked, honestly,” said Cynthia Bednarz, who lives in East Garfield Park, was quoted as saying by ABC Chicago “I’ve lived here for 24 years and we’ve never had anything like that happen on our block. We are a tight community.
A flooring installer said he was working nearby and said he could have been a victim too. “It happens to everyone, you know,” he said. “I mean, Chicago is getting worse and worse, you know, not even the good areas are not bad areas. It’s everywhere. It is not only South Side, the North Side, it’s everywhere.”
Air fryers and televisions
Responding officers arrived to find individuals carrying away stolen goods, including air fryers and televisions, which were being loaded into waiting vehicles. Discarded boxes littered the surrounding streets, evidence of the widespread looting.
Despite the presence of Chicago Police, Union Pacific police, and Metra police, individuals continued to scale the embankment at Lake Street and Lavergne Avenue, attempting to access the train. It took Union Pacific police a full hour to clear the tracks.
