People will steal your stuff on amtrak right in front of you.

[Lacunacoil]

I want to warn people. Last week on southwest chief I got up from seat in kansas city. 12 minutes later I return, to a guy in seat next to me, who was cutting into my backpack. It was chained to the foot rest locked closed. He did steal $20 worth stuff from the top compartment. As soon as I sat down, he left, took me 10 minutes to notice he cut open my bag. I couldn't tell which guy behind me it was, cause 6 guys behind me looked the same. Normally, I had a shirt covering the lock, because the lock could attract attention of a criminal. I dont know if I moved the shirt when I went for the walk. My points to make. #1, amtrak has alot criminal types being shipped out of one town to another from homeless agencies. #2 I'm from ny area, with little theft crime, but the whole west coast theft is normal and not prosecuted in most cases, like breaking into cars.#3 the thief's, always have pocket knives. They will stab you if you confront them. 40 years in nyc I never saw a pocket knife. In San Diego almost everyone Carrie's them , guys walk around with 16 foot machetes on their waste band in San Diego. So be careful. #4 I've seen people arested on amtrak for stealing phones. #5 dont leave your luggage in bottom car. Bring it to your seat. #6 put a credit card in different bags so you dont end up with no money and no cards. Keep passport on you, I have thin pair shorts with side pockets after previous mugging in mexico.

 

[Lana J C]

I have had the opposite experience. When my purse with $200 cash, credit card and drvers license slipped off my shoulder between coach seat and wall on the eastbound Missouri River Runner departing Kansas City I detrained at Independence and left it behind. It travelled to Chicago, was turned into Lost and Found, and sent back to KC where I retrieved it. Not a penny was missing! I recieved excellent service from Amtrak agents involved.
When traveling in a Roomette I often leave a rollerbag in lower luggage rack and have never had theft issues.

OopsCorrection: ...it travelled to StLouis

 

[Chey]

I once left a pair of glasses in my roomette when I disembarked at Albuquerque. I didn't even know where I'd lost them. A few days later someone from the Albuquerque station called me, asking if I was still in town. I wasn't, so Amtrak mailed them to my home in TX.

So they would have had to check who was in that roomette and then find my information, then spend the money to box and ship my glasses.

I was really impressed, I can't imagine that happening with the airlines or Greyhound.

 

[Asher]

I want to warn people. Last week on southwest chief I got up from seat in kansas city. 12 minutes later I return, to a guy in seat next to me, who was cutting into my backpack. It was chained to the foot rest locked closed. He did steal $20 worth stuff from the top compartment. As soon as I sat down, he left, took me 10 minutes to notice he cut open my bag. I couldn't tell which guy behind me it was, cause 6 guys behind me looked the same. Normally, I had a shirt covering the lock, because the lock could attract attention of a criminal. I dont know if I moved the shirt when I went for the walk. My points to make. #1, amtrak has alot criminal types being shipped out of one town to another from homeless agencies. #2 I'm from ny area, with little theft crime, but the whole west coast theft is normal and not prosecuted in most cases, like breaking into cars.#3 the thief's, always have pocket knives. They will stab you if you confront them. 40 years in nyc I never saw a pocket knife. In San Diego almost everyone Carrie's them , guys walk around with 16 foot machetes on their waste band in San Diego. So be careful. #4 I've seen people arested on amtrak for stealing phones. #5 dont leave your luggage in bottom car. Bring it to your seat. #6 put a credit card in different bags so you dont end up with no money and no cards. Keep passport on you, I have thin pair shorts with side pockets after previous mugging in mexico.

Wow! You are painting a negative picture for folks wishing to travel to San Diego for the Gathering in October.

 

[Steve4031]

The OP’s post is helpful. There is not a lot Amtrak can do if someone can not identify the thief. I’ve had sleeping car attendants warn me to put electronics out of sight when I leave my roomette. So theft is a possibility ant place the train.

With regards to knives and other weapons maybe this is why there is increases police presence on trains.

 

[tricia]

I'd wager that many, if not most, men in rural places habitually carry pocket knives, and not for nefarious purposes. Surely the mere presence of a pocket knife isn't justification for increased policing.

 

[Maglev]

Oh my goodness, 16 foot machetes!

I was a little concerned about my luggage between LAX and SAN for the Gathering, but I see that Surfliners offer checked baggage so maybe I'll just check my suitcases and keep my backpack. I get in to San Diego at 1:15 am, and plan to walk the couple blocks to my hotel.

I will confess that I almost took the wrong suitcase once off the luggage rack. I had a new piece that I was not familiar with, and grabbed a similar piece that I thought was mine. Fortunately, the owner was getting off at the same stop and was standing right there. She thanked me for getting her suitcase down for her--mine was in the rack at the other end of the car!

Edit to add, in response to Tricia's post, that I indeed usually carry a multi-tool pocket knife, especially on the train where things tend to need fixing.

 

[Bonser]

I want to warn people. Last week on southwest chief I got up from seat in kansas city. 12 minutes later I return, to a guy in seat next to me, who was cutting into my backpack. It was chained to the foot rest locked closed. He did steal $20 worth stuff from the top compartment. As soon as I sat down, he left, took me 10 minutes to notice he cut open my bag. I couldn't tell which guy behind me it was, cause 6 guys behind me looked the same. Normally, I had a shirt covering the lock, because the lock could attract attention of a criminal. I dont know if I moved the shirt when I went for the walk. My points to make. #1, amtrak has alot criminal types being shipped out of one town to another from homeless agencies. #2 I'm from ny area, with little theft crime, but the whole west coast theft is normal and not prosecuted in most cases, like breaking into cars.#3 the thief's, always have pocket knives. They will stab you if you confront them. 40 years in nyc I never saw a pocket knife. In San Diego almost everyone Carrie's them , guys walk around with 16 foot machetes on their waste band in San Diego. So be careful. #4 I've seen people arested on amtrak for stealing phones. #5 dont leave your luggage in bottom car. Bring it to your seat. #6 put a credit card in different bags so you dont end up with no money and no cards. Keep passport on you, I have thin pair shorts with side pockets after previous mugging in mexico.

I've never heard of anyone with remotely similar experiences to yours. And I've been riding Amtrak since its inception. I've never seen someone lock their bags either. Did you file a police report?

 

[crescent-zephyr]

I was on the coast starlight when multiple announcements were made regarding a theft. It didn’t happen near me so I’m not sure what all the details were but they basically said if you return the items now, no questions asked and you’ll make it to your destination, otherwise police would be called. Not sure how it turned out but yeah things happen on public transit.

 

[ET2020]

I've never heard of anyone with remotely similar experiences to yours. And I've been riding Amtrak since its inception. I've never seen someone lock their bags either. Did you file a police report?

Have you ever seen anyone with a 16-foot-machete !??

 

[Lacunacoil]

Obviously I meant inch. I think other people realized that

 

[hlcteacher]

how do you carry a 16 foot machete?

 

[Suze10860]

Real question: Is there even such a thing as a 16 foot machete?

 

[RichieRich]

"how do you carry a 16 foot machete?"
By the handle?

 

[Sauve850]

I want to warn people. Last week on southwest chief I got up from seat in kansas city. 12 minutes later I return, to a guy in seat next to me, who was cutting into my backpack. It was chained to the foot rest locked closed. He did steal $20 worth stuff from the top compartment. As soon as I sat down, he left, took me 10 minutes to notice he cut open my bag. I couldn't tell which guy behind me it was, cause 6 guys behind me looked the same. Normally, I had a shirt covering the lock, because the lock could attract attention of a criminal. I dont know if I moved the shirt when I went for the walk. My points to make. #1, amtrak has alot criminal types being shipped out of one town to another from homeless agencies. #2 I'm from ny area, with little theft crime, but the whole west coast theft is normal and not prosecuted in most cases, like breaking into cars.#3 the thief's, always have pocket knives. They will stab you if you confront them. 40 years in nyc I never saw a pocket knife. In San Diego almost everyone Carrie's them , guys walk around with 16 foot machetes on their waste band in San Diego. So be careful. #4 I've seen people arested on amtrak for stealing phones. #5 dont leave your luggage in bottom car. Bring it to your seat. #6 put a credit card in different bags so you dont end up with no money and no cards. Keep passport on you, I have thin pair shorts with side pockets after previous mugging in mexico.

Sorry to hear of your problem but Im not sure about the accuracy of the points you made. Ive traveled a serious amount of miles on Amtrak all in bedroom or roomette. Ive never experienced any issues at all and hope it stays that way.

 

[Ziv]

I have carried a pocket knife for years. And it is one of those terrifying assisted open pocket knives that looks like a "switchblade"! LOL!
And I would have been there for the OP if they needed help. I probably wouldn't volunteer to take a bullet but I would support them.
Crime is simply a part of society, and Amtrak has less crime than most places but it is not immune.

I'd wager that many, if not most, men in rural places habitually carry pocket knives, and not for nefarious purposes. Surely the mere presence of a pocket knife isn't justification for increased policing.

 

[Steve4031]

I wasn’t thinking about pocket knives. I was thinking more like the kind that could be used as weapons. Certainly did not mean to offend anyone.

 

[Asher]

Obviously I meant inch. I think other people realized that

Just where does one carry a 16 inch machette?

 

[Suze10860]

Obviously I meant inch. I think other people realized that

Actually, because of the tenor of your entire post, I'm not really sure everyone did realize that. I thought that maybe you misspoke about the size of the machete, but when I reread the original post you actually typed the word "foot" rather than "inch." That's a pretty odd error to make.

Had you used the wrong symbol ( ' = foot, rather than " = inch) I could see the mistake.

Don't want to seem really contrary, but that simply makes me question both the accuracy of and the details in your post. Not saying there's no truth there, just that there might be some exaggeration. I feel that it was intentionally written in a bit of a hysterical manner and you were trying to be scary rather than actually helpful.

Just my opinion...

 

[ET2020]

Actually, because of the tenor of your entire post, I'm not really sure everyone did realize that. I thought that maybe you misspoke about the size of the machete, but when I reread the original post you actually typed the word "foot" rather than "inch." That's a pretty odd error to make.

Had you used the wrong symbol ( ' = foot, rather than " = inch) I could see the mistake.

Don't want to seem really contrary, but that simply makes me question both the accuracy of and the details in your post. Not saying there's no truth there, just that there might be some exaggeration. I feel that it was intentionally written in a bit of a hysterical manner and you were trying to be scary rather than actually helpful.

Just my opinion...

I've told you ten million times not to exaggerate!

 

[Skyline]

I've got to see this 16 foot machete. How does someone maneuver such a monster onto a train? Could the OP post a photo of this? Or even a hand drawn example?

No doubt there are some criminals among the 32 million-plus Amtrak pax per year but I'm thinking this is not credible.

 

[Lana J C]

Its really too bad that Lacunacoil had such a bad experience.We do all need to be extra aware these days. Give Amtrak another try!

 

[LookingGlassTie]

A 16-foot machete is slightly shorter than double the width of an Amtrak passenger car.

Just sayin'

 

[Qapla]

...took me 10 minutes to notice he cut open my bag...

If he cut into the bag while you were gone and you didn't notice it until 10 minutes after he left ... he didn't steal "your stuff right in front of you" like the title says.

...I couldn't tell which guy behind me it was, cause 6 guys behind me looked the same...

This almost sounds like racial profiling

...Normally, I had a shirt covering the lock, because the lock could attract attention of a criminal...

Perhaps if you didn't chain and lock your bag down it would look so much like it had precious valuables in it - since most just drop their bags on the floor or toss them in the upper shelf area and never have anyone mess with them

... #1, amtrak has alot criminal types being shipped out of one town to another from homeless agencies.

Somehow I don't think Amtrak is in the business of "shipping homeless" anywhere - as long as they have a valid ticket, I guess they are allowed to ride the train the same as the rest of us ticket holders.

... #2 I'm from ny area, with little theft crime, but the whole west coast theft is normal and not prosecuted in most cases, like breaking into cars.#3 the thief's, always have pocket knives. They will stab you if you confront them. 40 years in nyc I never saw a pocket knife. In San Diego almost everyone Carrie's them

This does not quite agree with crime statistics. NY is NOT a crime-free city. I have not heard others I know who live in California express that "theft is normal and not prosecuted". I know a guy who lived in San Diego for nearly four years and he has never mentioned "almost everyone" carrying a knife or that guys walk around with machetes of any size hooked to their waste bands.


The way this Original Post is presented has caused skepticism as to the validity of the claims. Perhaps some of the post is exasperation or hysteria talking while describing what would have been a very upsetting experience. However, since there was no mention of reporting this to the car attendant and/or conductor ... and their response - many have expressed their doubts. I hope you understand the reasons for many of the comments thus far.

If you could give a more "down-to-earth" account of this experience it may help the rest of us to fully understand what happened and why no action seemed to be taken by the authorities.

 

[Lacunacoil]

If he cut into the bag while you were gone and you didn't notice it until 10 minutes after he left ... he didn't steal "your stuff right in front of you" like the title says.


This almost sounds like racial profiling


Perhaps if you didn't chain and lock your bag down it would look so much like it had precious valuables in it - since most just drop their bags on the floor or toss them in the upper shelf area and never have anyone mess with them


Somehow I don't think Amtrak is in the business of "shipping homeless" anywhere - as long as they have a valid ticket, I guess they are allowed to ride the train the same as the rest of us ticket holders.


This does not quite agree with crime statistics. NY is NOT a crime-free city. I have not heard others I know who live in California express that "theft is normal and not prosecuted". I know a guy who lived in San Diego for nearly four years and he has never mentioned "almost everyone" carrying a knife or that guys walk around with machetes of any size hooked to their waste bands.


The way this Original Post is presented has caused skepticism as to the validity of the claims. Perhaps some of the post is exasperation or hysteria talking while describing what would have been a very upsetting experience. However, since there was no mention of reporting this to the car attendant and/or conductor ... and their response - many have expressed their doubts. I hope you understand the reasons for many of the comments thus far.

If you could give a more "down-to-earth" account of this experience it may help the rest of us to fully understand what happened and why no action seemed to be taken by the authorities.

#1 many gas stations sell pocket knives, in San Diego. If you havnt lived there, or even been to it, your opinion of San Diego doesnt hold much value. #2 theft is very common in california. I dont have time to educate you but they made laws so people can break into cars and not go to jail unless you can prove with video the door was locked. Reason? They dont have room in jail or courts. #3 I did show the conductor if you expect all details, you can buy the book on amazon when it comes out. #4 how is it racial profiling if 5 guys, all same hair and skin color, all same age within 7 years, are behind me and I didnt remember. That's reality. You are trying to make it a racial thing to fit your agenda. #6 if you think the police take police reports for 30 in damages bag, and 20 in stolen items, on a moving amtrak train, well, then you are the type person I wrote the post for. For people from normal parts of the country who arent around criminals much. And amtrak does have homeless and people just out of prison, I'm in the seats always, not the roommates, and I am familiar with all states homeless programs. They all ship homeless out any chance they get.