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We often talk, and correctly so, about educating this and educating that. But this is one situation (below) where one shouldn’t have to even ponder the necessity of education! A normal person would not do something as dumb or as blatantly anti-social and extremely dangerous as this!
Man caught on camera setting fire to JUTC bus
BY INGRID BROWN Senior staff reporter
browni@jamaicaobserver.com
Wednesday, July 08, 2009
THE police have launched a search for a JUTC passenger who was caught on camera last week Friday setting fire to one of the company's buses.
The bus was travelling from Meadowbrook en route to the Half-Way-Tree Transport Centre with several passengers, including a baby onboard, when the fire was detected by a youngster shortly after the man disembarked. He first rode the bus from the transport centre to Meadowbrook and decided to 'strike' on the return journey.
Surveillance cameras captured images of this man in frame at left who set fire to one of the new JUTC buses on Friday.
The damage to the vehicle, estimated at $400,000, was the latest act of vandalism against the new fleet of buses acquired by the state-owned company.
The Jamaica Urban Transit Company (JUTC) said 15 of the 50 new buses put into service February have already been vandalised to the tune of $7 million.
The surveillance video which captured the man setting a fire at the back of the bus was yesterday shown to members of the media. It showed the man, clutching a black plastic bag, boarding the bus at the transport centre shortly after 1:00 in the afternoon.
Seemingly unable to carry out his planned attack at that time as several male students were sitting on the back seat, he rode the bus to its termination point in the Chancery Street area, where he exited.
The camera, however, captured him re-entering the bus a short while later where he again paid his fare for a return trip to the transport centre, carrying the same bag.
On entering, the man chose a seat close to the back of the bus, which was transporting fewer passengers.
After fidgeting for sometime he changed seat and sat at the extreme back, following which he pulled a candle and a lighter from his pocket which he used to light pieces of cardboard he had in the bag.
The footage further showed the man, who was clearly identifiable in the images, placing the lit cardboard behind the back seat and the windscreen, unknown to the unsuspecting passengers, before disembarking at the last bus stop before the transport centre.
The fire was only discovered by a student when another set of passengers began to board the bus at the centre.
The surveillance video showed the driver rushing with an extinguisher put out the blaze but was almost overpowered by the flames and smoke.
The fire was eventually put out by the driver but not before it caused some $400,000 in damage.
In April of this year a similar incident took place, also on one of the new JUTC buses plying the Meadowbrook to Half-Way-Tree route, where fire was set to the back seat of a bus resulting in approximately $550,000 in damage.
Reginald Allen, communications manager at the JUTC, said two other buses were last week stoned along the Mountain View Avenue and East Kingston routes, amounting to almost $1 million in damage.
Meanwhile, Transport Minister Mike Henry called on the judiciary to make an example of anyone who is caught and convicted of perpetrating the dastardly acts of aggression against JUTC buses.
Man caught on camera setting fire to JUTC bus
BY INGRID BROWN Senior staff reporter
browni@jamaicaobserver.com
Wednesday, July 08, 2009
THE police have launched a search for a JUTC passenger who was caught on camera last week Friday setting fire to one of the company's buses.
The bus was travelling from Meadowbrook en route to the Half-Way-Tree Transport Centre with several passengers, including a baby onboard, when the fire was detected by a youngster shortly after the man disembarked. He first rode the bus from the transport centre to Meadowbrook and decided to 'strike' on the return journey.
Surveillance cameras captured images of this man in frame at left who set fire to one of the new JUTC buses on Friday.
The damage to the vehicle, estimated at $400,000, was the latest act of vandalism against the new fleet of buses acquired by the state-owned company.
The Jamaica Urban Transit Company (JUTC) said 15 of the 50 new buses put into service February have already been vandalised to the tune of $7 million.
The surveillance video which captured the man setting a fire at the back of the bus was yesterday shown to members of the media. It showed the man, clutching a black plastic bag, boarding the bus at the transport centre shortly after 1:00 in the afternoon.
Seemingly unable to carry out his planned attack at that time as several male students were sitting on the back seat, he rode the bus to its termination point in the Chancery Street area, where he exited.
The camera, however, captured him re-entering the bus a short while later where he again paid his fare for a return trip to the transport centre, carrying the same bag.
On entering, the man chose a seat close to the back of the bus, which was transporting fewer passengers.
After fidgeting for sometime he changed seat and sat at the extreme back, following which he pulled a candle and a lighter from his pocket which he used to light pieces of cardboard he had in the bag.
The footage further showed the man, who was clearly identifiable in the images, placing the lit cardboard behind the back seat and the windscreen, unknown to the unsuspecting passengers, before disembarking at the last bus stop before the transport centre.
The fire was only discovered by a student when another set of passengers began to board the bus at the centre.
The surveillance video showed the driver rushing with an extinguisher put out the blaze but was almost overpowered by the flames and smoke.
The fire was eventually put out by the driver but not before it caused some $400,000 in damage.
In April of this year a similar incident took place, also on one of the new JUTC buses plying the Meadowbrook to Half-Way-Tree route, where fire was set to the back seat of a bus resulting in approximately $550,000 in damage.
Reginald Allen, communications manager at the JUTC, said two other buses were last week stoned along the Mountain View Avenue and East Kingston routes, amounting to almost $1 million in damage.
Meanwhile, Transport Minister Mike Henry called on the judiciary to make an example of anyone who is caught and convicted of perpetrating the dastardly acts of aggression against JUTC buses.
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