Man Stole Greyhound Bus on Christmas to See Friend (VIDEO)
A man eager to see a friend on Christmas decided that instead of waiting for the next bus to make its scheduled pick-up that he would take matters into his own hands and drive the bus there to see his friend himself.
Authorities said that 39-year-old Andrew Hickey of Peekskill, Westchester County, boarded the bus on Sunday morning and took off north on the interstate to see a friend of his in Watertown, which is about 60 miles away, according to WSYR.
The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office explained that Hickey boarded the vacant idling bus because he said he was cold.
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A Greyhound spokesperson in a statement said that the half million dollar Greyhound bus was in the midst of being refueled and cleaned at a Syracuse transportation center for an upcoming departure. Hickey however, saw this instance as an opportunity and decided to hit the road.
Once Hickey buckled his safety belt and adjusted his mirrors he left the transportation center, he then headed north to visit a friend in the Watertown area as reported by WHEC.
As it turns out Hickey had a commercial driver’s license and knew how to drive the bus. But what may have been unknown to him at the time is that Greyhound had anti-theft devices as well as GPS tracking installed on the bus.
The AP reported that a few hours later, Greyhound officials were able to disabled the runaway bus electronically while it proceeded on Route 11 in the area of Watertown. With the help of GPS technology, Greyhound said the company was able to notify deputies of exactly where to make the arrest.
Hickey was charged with criminal possession of stolen property and unauthorized use of a vehicle. He is currently in Jefferson County Jail on $20,000 cash bail or $40,000 bond.
It is not known whether or not he has retained legal counsel.
The Christian Post Daily Report 12.28.11
