Teen arrested after phoning in bomb threat aboard Via Rail train

New passenger trains sit on the tracks at the Via Rail Canada Maintenance Centre in Montreal, Thursday, Feb. 22, 2024. (Source: THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christinne Muschi)

A young person has been arrested after issuing a fake bomb threat on a Via Rail train.

On New Year’s Day, just before 9:00 p.m., police say they received a 911 call from an anonymous person claiming that there was a bomb on board their train.

Emergency communications operators were able to determine that the call came from on board a westbound passenger train heading for Chatham.

The train was stopped prior to its arrival at Queen Street Station, near Sass Road and Colbourne Street. Police boarded the train, and officers located the caller – a 15 year old. He was accompanied by three additional young people aged 13 to 16.

Police determined through investigation that the bomb threat was false. The 15 year old was placed under arrest for public mischief.

According to Chatham-Kent police, three of the young people (including the caller) were under release conditions forbidding them from being together based on previous incidents. They were also arrested.

Police say that the incident is isolated and there is no threat to public safety.