Swedish cleaning lady steals train, crashes into house
Policemen stand in front of a local train that derailed into a residential building in Saltsjoebaden, Sweden, on January 15, 2013. A domestic cleaner stole the train and drove it into the building and was taken to hospital after the crash.
A Swedish cleaning lady stole an empty commuter train from a depot Tuesday and drove it to the Stockholm suburb of Saltsjöbaden, where it derailed and slammed into a house.
"The woman started driving the train from the Neglinge train station, which is two stops from Saltsjöbaden, and usually a three-minute ride," spokesman Jesper Pettersson told The Local.
When the train made it to its final stop around 3 a.m., it came off the tracks and crashed into the first-floor kitchen of one of the house's three apartments. The train had no passengers, but a woman was reportedly trapped in the wreckage for two hours before rescue crews could get her out.
More from GlobalPost: Netherlands train crash leaves over a hundred injured near Amsterdam
"We still don’t know why she was in the driver's seat or whether the incident was an accident," Pettersson continued. "There's a police investigation underway and we're waiting for them for clarification."
Born in 1990, the woman worked for a company contracted to carry out cleaning for the train operator, the Associated Press reported. She was seriously injured in the crash and was flown to a hospital in nearby Stockholm. Police spokesman Lars Bystrom said she has been arrested on suspicion of endangering the public.
Five people from three families were sleeping inside the building at the time of the crash, the International Business Times reported. They were evacuated as a safety precaution.
The woman's motives were not immediately clear. An investigation is underway.
The article you just read is free because dedicated readers and listeners like you chose to support our nonprofit newsroom. Our team works tirelessly to ensure you hear the latest in international, human-centered reporting every weekday. But our work would not be possible without you. We need your help.
Make a gift today to help us raise $67,000 by the end of the year and keep The World going strong. Every gift will get us one step closer to our goal!