At least he admits he was dumbFollow

Teen jumps off train


When he realized the MBTA commuter train he was on was an express and not stopping at the Wellesley Hills station where he was bound, a 15-year-old from Ashland said he panicked and jumped off the train yesterday when it was traveling between 25 and 30 miles per hour.

A somewhat chagrined, stitched, and very bruised Jake Todaro said his unscheduled exit in Natick from the eastbound Framingham-Worcester commuter train was the result of a brain freeze.

``I wasn't really thinking," said Todaro, who was treated and released from Children's Hospital getting stitches in his forehead, between his nose and upper lip. He also broke a pinky finger. ``I just panicked. I don't drive yet and I'm not used to being in places I don't know."

Todaro said he took the plunge after the conductor said the train was running express to Back Bay from Natick. He landed feet first, he said, and then rolled on the gravel a few feet from the moving train.

Todaro admitted what he did was stupid, but said the conductor did not tell him anything about how to get back to Wellesley from Back Bay. He also blamed the train's intercom system, which T officials said announced the express train, but which Todaro said he could not hear.

``I heard it and I have no idea what they were saying," he said.

Todaro said he got on at Framingham to go to his Wellesley summer job, which he declined to discuss. He usually takes a later train, but instead got on a train that makes all local stops between Worcester and Natick, then goes express to Back Bay, past Wellesley Hills.

An unidentified female conductor on the train told T officials she encountered Todaro in the train's vestibule near the steps and asked him for his ticket. When he told her he wanted to go to Wellesley, she said she told him it was an express train.

``He proceeded to get upset and asked me to stop the train," the conductor said in her statement to MBTA Transit Police. After asking Todaro to step inside the train, she said she began collecting fares when she heard the vestibule door slam.

``She turned around and he was gone," said MBTA spokesman Joe Pesaturo. The conductor then radioed the engineer and activated the emergency brake after being told by a passenger that the teen had jumped from the train.

Asked if he would do it again, Todaro replied: ``Are you serious?"

That kid is @#%^ing awesome! Someone needs to give that kid a T-shirt.


This is correct. MBTA speakers are complete *****.

Edited, Jun 22nd 2006 at 10:35am EDT by Jacobsdeception

Wow... least his ok. Panic can do weird things to the brain.



I can't speak for other systems, but the local train system out here for travel inside the town has total ***** speakers too. I've yet to get on a train where I could understand what the conductor/driver was saying.

I'd like to know how he got those doors open though... Trains should have a system that prevents the doors from being opened while the train is in motion. I know the local system does, if you press the open button it just sends a request to stop at the next station. Emergancy exit or something maybe?

Maybe your stuff is newer? A lot of the MBTA equips are kinda old. The best train speakers I've ever heard were on the Tokyo subway. I still couldn't understand a damn word that was being said, but that was more a function of ingorance than technology.


No kidding. I'd have paid good money to watch him pull this stunt. Bonus points if there's a sign or phone pole in his way.

Possibly, though it has been that way for as long as I can remember, which was like close to 12 years ago... I know they recently (see like 2 years ago) got some new trains, but like I said... for like 12 years (and probably before)

If he was bound there, why didn't he just gate? duh!