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Man charged with driving van into Red Line train

E-mail|Link|Comments () February 19, 2010 03:06 PM

Joao Castro

The van came to rest next to the train.

By Shana Wickett, Globe Correspondent

An Everett man was arrested on charges of operating under the influence after he crashed a van through a metal fence and into a Red Line train in Cambridge early this morning, State Police said.

“I’m thankful that no one was hurt, I’m thankful that it didn’t result in any more damage than is apparent, and I’m thankful for the great work of the MBTA overnight crew to get service moving first thing this morning,” Secretary of Transportation Jeffrey Mullan said this morning.

The MBTA Transit Police and other agencies responded to the incident on the Cambridge side of the Longfellow Bridge at 12:32 a.m., Mullan said.

State Police identified the driver of the 1994 Ford as Jefferson Mondesir, 30. He was most likely driving from Memorial Drive when he lost control of the vehicle, crashed through a metal fence, went into the railroad’s right of way, damaged the track, and struck two Red Line train cars, Mullan said.

Mondesir was arrested and charged with operating under the influence, failure to drive in marked lanes, reckless operation, and failure to yield or stop, said Lieutenant David Wilson, a State Police spokesman. He was arraigned today in Cambridge District Court. A pretrial hearing was slated for March 25, State Police said.

Neither the van driver nor anyone on the train was reported injured, Mullan said. Because power was shut off, passengers on the train and three other trains were evacuated at the Charles/MGH station and bused to their desired stops.

MBTA crews worked overnight to repair the damage until 4:45 a.m., just in time for service to start at 5 a.m, Mullan said.

“The fact that that car breached that fence could have been a disaster,” Mullan said. “Were it not for the hard work of the MBTA crew, we could have been looking at something quite different.”