17-year-old YouTuber charged for allegedly derailing a train in Nebraska for content

A 17-year-old YouTuber from Bennet, Nebraska has been charged for reportedly causing a train derailment to get content for his channel, named Capitol City Rail Productions. The video titled Loaded BNSF Arbor COLLIDES and DERAILS in Bennet, NE! MOST INSANE VIDEO I'VE EVER TAKEN! was uploaded to YouTube on April 23, 2024, and has garnered over 400K views in the last three months.

New York Post reports that the unidentified teen was recently charged with two felony counts of mischief and causing damage of more than $5,000. According to Fox Nebraska, the BNSF train derailed on April 21, 2024, causing more than $350,000 in damages.

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Watch: Teen YouTuber allegedly uploaded a video of BNSF trail derailing after causing the accident on purpose

The five-minute video from the accused is supposedly staged from the point of view of an innocent passerby. In the first few minutes, the narrator "sets the storage" for the accident, stating that a damaged coal car was placed in a RIP (repair) track at a siding in the town of Bennet, Nebraska.

In normal circumstances, that would not interfere with the main line. However, authorities allege that the content creator himself tampered with the switches, causing another BNSF train to collide with the damaged coal car that was left in the RIP track. According to court documents, five cars and two locomotives got derailed but remained upright after the accident.

As per reports from local news authority KOLN, the conductor of the train that derailed saw the misaligned switch before the accident took place and failed to bring the vehicle to a stop despite using emergency measures. The conductor also claimed that a secured padlock was missing from the switch, meaning that it was tampered with.

The moment of the collision captured by the YouTuber (Image via Capitol City Rail Productions/YouTube)

During the investigation of the case, authorities reportedly seized the recording devices belonging to the YouTuber. After consulting surveillance footage of the area, they found a 1996 Buick Park Avenue with a lone driver who allegedly matched the description of the 17-year-old.

As mentioned, the teenager has been charged with two felonies in the case, and a motion to try the accused as an adult has also been filed.