10-29-2023, 02:58 AM
![[Image: KHZd4MS.png]](https://i.imgur.com/KHZd4MS.png)
Attempted Ohio Train Derailments Part of Alleged Terrorist Plot:
Court Docs
October 19, 2023
![[Image: rGaiL8t.jpg]](https://i.imgur.com/rGaiL8t.jpg)
CSX train employees found metal materials jammed into the tracks and rail switches of an
Ohio train line for months after a near-catastrophic derailment in August,
according to court documents.
During a test run for a CSX employee appreciation day, a train hit an obstruction on the
track and temporarily derailed before the wheels dropped back into place.
The seemingly mysterious accident quickly became a concerning issue when employees
continued to find more “purposefully placed” materials along the tracks, which matched
methods taught by international terrorist groups to make homemade derail devices,
court documents say.
The investigation led to Cleveland man Joseph Findley, 43, who was arrested and charged
with terrorist attacks against railroad carriers.
Findley lives with his parents, who could not be reached by Fox News Digital.
His mother told Fox 8, though, that her son is not a terrorist.
“He’s never been a bad kid, never, he was always good. He’s no terrorist,
somebody’s making that up,” his mom told the local news outlet, which asked
what would explain his alleged actions.
“Being depressed, because he lost his job, he lost his girlfriend, but he never
did anything like that,” she said. “They’re nuts, he’s not a terrorist. I think they
all exaggerated it because he never did anything bad.”
The Amtrak train along that line typically carries between 180 and 200 passengers
twice per day, according to court documents.
Evidence laid out by the FBI and federal prosecutors in court papers reviewed
by Fox News Digital tell a different story.
After the derailment on Aug. 12, CSX employees found obstructions,
including tie plates, spikes and other pieces of metal, wedged between the
guardrail and the rail, according to the criminal complaint.
Findley allegedly jammed these metal objects in the line five times from
August to October.
“The objects and their specific placement indicate knowledge of how the
tracks and the switch operate, as well as how to disrupt these normal operations,”
the criminal complaint says.
A local business near the tracks caught a glimpse of a man in the area of
the obstruction that caused the Aug. 12 derailment and repositioned its
cameras to get a clearer view of the tracks, court documents say.
“Over the next few days, CSX work crews reported several pieces of debris
were placed on the tracks further east of the switch,” the criminal complaint says.
“This debris consisted of two fiberglass panels and various pieces of track material,
including tie plates and spikes.”
The spikes are sharp and pointed upwards “to cause harm to someone walking
around the railroad tracks,” the complaint says.
Cameras caught the first glimpse of the suspect – a man wearing a black shirt,
jean shorts and carrying an aluminum beverage can – on Aug. 18,
but investigators could not make out the man’s face.
There was a lull in activity near the tracks until Sept. 18, when crew members
found material between the guardrail and the rail for the mainline.
“Based on the condition of the material, it appeared to have been struck by
at least one train,” according to the criminal complaint, but luckily there were
no derailments.
A day earlier – Sept. 17 – trail cameras caught the same man from Aug. 18
in the same clothing, but this time his face was clearer.
![[Image: IIVkoGj.jpg]](https://i.imgur.com/IIVkoGj.jpg)
Investigators followed his movements, and saw him check the switches where
the obstructions were, according to court documents.
The same man was spotted in the same spot on Sept. 30 and Oct. 1, when he
was “seen taking several pieces of track material and placing them on
other parts of the rail.”
Investigators showed the images from the secret trail cam to a number of
nearby store employees, and one of them identified Findley.
The clerk told investigators Findley grew up in the neighborhood, lives with
his parents on a dead-end rotary and “is known to drink heavily,” court documents say.
The FBI executed a search warrant on Findley’s home, found the clothes seen
in the surveillance videos and arrested him.
Court Docs
October 19, 2023
CSX train employees found metal materials jammed into the tracks and rail switches of an
Ohio train line for months after a near-catastrophic derailment in August,
according to court documents.
During a test run for a CSX employee appreciation day, a train hit an obstruction on the
track and temporarily derailed before the wheels dropped back into place.
The seemingly mysterious accident quickly became a concerning issue when employees
continued to find more “purposefully placed” materials along the tracks, which matched
methods taught by international terrorist groups to make homemade derail devices,
court documents say.
The investigation led to Cleveland man Joseph Findley, 43, who was arrested and charged
with terrorist attacks against railroad carriers.
Findley lives with his parents, who could not be reached by Fox News Digital.
His mother told Fox 8, though, that her son is not a terrorist.
“He’s never been a bad kid, never, he was always good. He’s no terrorist,
somebody’s making that up,” his mom told the local news outlet, which asked
what would explain his alleged actions.
“Being depressed, because he lost his job, he lost his girlfriend, but he never
did anything like that,” she said. “They’re nuts, he’s not a terrorist. I think they
all exaggerated it because he never did anything bad.”
The Amtrak train along that line typically carries between 180 and 200 passengers
twice per day, according to court documents.
Evidence laid out by the FBI and federal prosecutors in court papers reviewed
by Fox News Digital tell a different story.
After the derailment on Aug. 12, CSX employees found obstructions,
including tie plates, spikes and other pieces of metal, wedged between the
guardrail and the rail, according to the criminal complaint.
Findley allegedly jammed these metal objects in the line five times from
August to October.
“The objects and their specific placement indicate knowledge of how the
tracks and the switch operate, as well as how to disrupt these normal operations,”
the criminal complaint says.
A local business near the tracks caught a glimpse of a man in the area of
the obstruction that caused the Aug. 12 derailment and repositioned its
cameras to get a clearer view of the tracks, court documents say.
“Over the next few days, CSX work crews reported several pieces of debris
were placed on the tracks further east of the switch,” the criminal complaint says.
“This debris consisted of two fiberglass panels and various pieces of track material,
including tie plates and spikes.”
The spikes are sharp and pointed upwards “to cause harm to someone walking
around the railroad tracks,” the complaint says.
Cameras caught the first glimpse of the suspect – a man wearing a black shirt,
jean shorts and carrying an aluminum beverage can – on Aug. 18,
but investigators could not make out the man’s face.
There was a lull in activity near the tracks until Sept. 18, when crew members
found material between the guardrail and the rail for the mainline.
“Based on the condition of the material, it appeared to have been struck by
at least one train,” according to the criminal complaint, but luckily there were
no derailments.
A day earlier – Sept. 17 – trail cameras caught the same man from Aug. 18
in the same clothing, but this time his face was clearer.
Investigators followed his movements, and saw him check the switches where
the obstructions were, according to court documents.
The same man was spotted in the same spot on Sept. 30 and Oct. 1, when he
was “seen taking several pieces of track material and placing them on
other parts of the rail.”
Investigators showed the images from the secret trail cam to a number of
nearby store employees, and one of them identified Findley.
The clerk told investigators Findley grew up in the neighborhood, lives with
his parents on a dead-end rotary and “is known to drink heavily,” court documents say.
The FBI executed a search warrant on Findley’s home, found the clothes seen
in the surveillance videos and arrested him.