Amtrak passenger strips to underwear, refuses to put his clothes back on, NC cops say

A train passenger stripped to his underwear as horrified staff looked on, forcing Amtrak to make a longer-than-expected stop in North Carolina, investigators say.

It happened around 8 a.m., Thursday, Feb. 20, in Reidsville, and the 41-year-old man was arrested after refusing to put his pants back on, the Rockingham County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release. Reidsville is about a 95-mile drive northwest from Raleigh.

Alcohol played a role in the incident, the sheriff’s office said.

“Deputies responded to an Amtrak passenger train, which was stationary ... due to an intoxicated passenger on the train causing a disturbance,” the sheriff’s office said.

“(The passenger) was extremely intoxicated and had removed all of his clothing, with the exception of his undershirt and underwear. (He) refused to cooperate with train officials’ requests to put his clothing back on, gather his belongings and disembark the train.”

Deputies arrested the man and charged him with being intoxicated and disruptive, which is a misdemeanor, officials said. Details of the charges were not released.

“No one was injured during the disturbance on the train and the train resumed its travel after (he) was removed,” officials said.

Deputies report the man lives in Irvington, New Jersey, about a 490-mile drive northeast from Reidsville.

This story was originally published February 21, 2025 at 7:32 AM with the headline "Amtrak passenger strips to underwear, refuses to put his clothes back on, NC cops say."