One person is in custody after police say he stole an MBTA vehicle — with a passenger still inside it — in Woburn, Massachusetts, and drove into Boston, crashing into cars in the O’Neill Tunnel on the way.
MBTA Transit Police said the suspect stole the vehicle when the driver had parked on Elm Street and left the keys in the ignition. The suspect got into the car and drove away with a female passenger. That passenger, who police said has intellectual disabilities, called 911 for help.
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The alleged thief was identified later Wednesday as 34-year-old Thomas Baldwin, whose last known address is in Lowell, transit police said.
Massachusetts State Police said troopers spotted the vehicle in the O'Neill tunnel and tried to stop it, but the driver continued on, hitting three other cars in the tunnel. The trooper lost sight of it, but it was spotted a short time later on Mercantile Street and Surface Road in Boston.
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Police say the suspect got out and ran to The Bostonian hotel, where troopers found him hiding inside a function room. The suspect was turned over to MBTA Transit police.
The MBTA passenger suffered non-life-threatening injuries and was taken to the hospital. No one else was hurt.
MBTA Transit Police confirmed the vehicle involved was part of The RIDE program.
Aerial footage from the scene shows multiple police cruisers on scene in front of the Bostonian on North Street, which is not far from Faneuil Hall.
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