Police search for suspect who stole Modesto transit bus, left it in Milpitas
MODESTO — The search is on for a thief who stole a transit bus right out of its Modesto station and drove it all the way to the Bay Area last week.
Police said a crook stole a Stanislaus RTA (StanRTA) bus Friday night.
StanRTA CEO Adam Barth said the suspect stole the bus and drove it from the Modesto downtown transit center to Milpitas, where he parked it on a residential street and took off.
"I've never had the experience of a bus going missing or being stolen before. This is a first for me," Barth said.
Regular StanRTA riders are now learning about the transit investigation.
"That was ridiculous. I don't know why they did that but it's crazy," rider Robert Soto said.
The seats were empty when the driver stole the bus. He seemed to know what he was doing. He made the 80-mile drive with no traffic accidents or incidents.
It was an onboard camera that finally alerted StanRTA operators that the bus was in the wrong place.
A safety feature in the camera system captured the driver holding a cell phone in his hand. That signal was sent to transit staff who then saw the GPS showing the bus far away. The staff then called the Milpitas police to its location.
Now, the search for this seemingly well-trained transit thief remains ongoing.
"It appears that he had commercial driving experience of some form," Barth said. "He appeared to know very well how to back a bus out."
Police have been able to rule out current transit employees.
The bus is back in service and had no damage at all to it.
