Man jumps aboard moving Amtrak train, tries to take over controls, authorities say

A man who hopped aboard a moving Amtrak train and manipulated the locomotive’s controls was arrested Monday in Mount Shasta, Calif., authorities said.

Dylan Thomas Baldini of nearby McCloud was detained early Monday before being booked into the Siskiyou County Jail on suspicion of public intoxication, trespassing and interfering with the safe operation of a train, the Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office said.

The Sheriff’s Office thanked other law enforcement agencies for help “to mitigate what could have been a very dangerous outcome on a moving train, which obviously involved actions that potentially jeopardized the safety of passengers, crew, and others in the community.” It was not immediately known how many passengers were on the train.

The incident began at 1:18 a.m. when authorities responded to a radio call about a man who had jumped on a train’s backup engine on Cantara Loop Road in Mount Shasta. The man blew the train’s whistle several times, officials said.

Baldini, 26, was hostile and shirtless and appeared to be under the influence when he tried shifting the train’s control devices and putting the engine in emergency stop mode, sheriff’s officials said.

Authorities said crewmen were afraid for their safety, so they did not approach Baldini.

alejandra.reyesvelarde@latimes.com

Twitter: @r_valejandra