Bennet is a small town on the freight rail line between Lincoln and Nebraska City. Credit: Shutterstock

A 17-year-old boy has been charged in the US state of Nebraska after allegedly causing the derailment of a BNSF train in April 2024. 

The teenager, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was charged with two counts of criminal mischief at Lancaster County Juvenile Court. 

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He is accused of interfering with the tracks in Bennet, Nebraska, and causing two locomotives and five full freight cars to jump from the rails after colliding with a stationary coal car. 

According to court documents, the conductor told a BNSF investigator the crash and derailment were caused by a misaligned switch. A control lock on the switch was reportedly missing. 

It is alleged the teen was aware of the switch in question and mentioned the misalignment in comments to the investigator at the scene. 

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Court documents show the teenager was linked to a YouTube account, “ZUnit06”, which published many videos of trains in the areas of Nebraska. A video of the incident in Bennet was uploaded to this account within days of its occurrence. 

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“In the days following the derailment, a video of the derailment was posted to YouTube account ZUnit06, which is believed be associated with [the teen],” an investigator described in the court document.

“This account features numerous videos of trains filmed in Bennet, NE and other locations in Lancaster County, NE.”

The boy has denied trespassing and tampering with the switch in question. 

The collision with the coal cart caused approximately $350,000 in damage.

The account in question is no longer in use, and all videos have been removed, but it has not been deleted. 

However, the video has been shared by other accounts. 

Railway Technology is not responsible for external content.

It is unclear if prosecutors will argue the teenager caused the derailment for the purposes of filming and benefitting from the incident. 

The BNSF railroad in Bennet is used to supply coal to a power station in Nebraska City.