Estimated read time: 1-2 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
ROY — One man is in custody after he allegedly abandoned his wife's car on train tracks, which car was later hit by a Union Pacific train early Thursday, blocking service for FrontRunner.
Ronald Degroot has been charged with criminal mischief. Police say the incident was intentional.
A Union Pacific train hit the car about 4:30 a.m. on the tracks near 4800 South, said Utah Transit Authority spokesman Gerry Carpenter. Large portins of the vehicle were pushed to about 5600 South and onto the tracks used by FrontRunner.
Police say Degroot had been fighting with his wife and decided to drive her car onto the tracks and leave it there. The car was facing north and looked like it had been driven on the tracks as though they were a street. Degroot was intoxicated when he left the vehicle.
Police said they believe Degroot actually watched as emergency crews arrived. They caught him at his home hours later as he returned.
Steven Thorpe, who heard the incident, said that "you could almost feel those trains derail. Just that thunder, you know."
Degroot told police that he had changed his mind at the last minute, but that by then it was too late.
No one was injured in the accident. But the vehicle was pushed into a place that was difficult for tow trucks to access, Carpenter said. UTA was forced to bring in "heavier equipment" to get the car off the tracks.
FrontRunner passengers were being bused between the Clearfield and Roy stations until about 7:15 a.m. Trains were arriving into Salt Lake City about 10 minutes behind schedule, Carpenter said.
The car was removed from the tracks about 7:15 a.m.
Story written with contributions from Pat Reavy and [Shara Park](<mailto: spark@ksl.com>)
