Man arrested for throwing 5 bicycles onto train tracks in Tokyo

Some Pranksters out there obviously.

I hope the cops find whoever did this and throw them into jail. This prank could have cost thousands of lives.

This prank could have cost thousands of lives.

How?

probably some highschool kids. Many kids of this generation dont really have any sense of cause and effect nor do they care enough unless it effects them directly.

Now that it's hit national news, will there be copycat incidents in the future?

According to police, five bicycles were taken from a nearby bicycle park

Given the way many people "park" their bicycles in Japan (right in front of shop doorways, sticking out at a right angle when they could lean it against a rail so it isn't an obstruction), I wouldn't be surprised if it turned out that it was just 5 people with lazyitis who thought they were going to be late for the train and, hence, parked their bikes there... Stranger things have happened in Japan...

Looking at the TV-report this morning. Looks like the tracks are below an embankment with the road and railing above.

The 2 Bicycles they showed being loaded into police cars weren't cheap mama-chari either but rather expensive mountain bikes.

My guess is a dispute and the bicycles got tossed over.

Cleanup took an hour?

Some prankester. They could have done it the right way... but no... they just leave bikes infron Of a train track... smart boys (sarcasm)

So they arressted an unemployed man. Any word on the reasoning behind his stupid act? Trying to get free room and boarding before winter kicks in maybe? Or, just pissed off at the world?

JR East said that cleanup of the line took around an hour

Why would it take 'an hour' to remove 5 bicycles? Oh yeah T.I.J

what is all this talk about teenagers and pranksters? did anyone actually read the article? It was a 50-year old man.... He confessed..

I see someone's going through the threads and hitting the 'bad' button again. Clearly the old man just wanted to be caught and probably locked up. Would give him a place to say and three square meals. Fortunately no one was hurt.

70,000 commuters were affected by the delays,

On a Sunday afternoon? I guess there is a wider term of commuting that means just being on a train but the regular colquialism means one who travels to and from work.

Why would it take 'an hour' to remove 5 bicycles? Oh yeah T.I.J Hopefully they were checking for damage on the rails that might cause further accidents. An hour isn't bad, UK trains sometimes just don't turn up!

tokyokawaski - It might take an hour to clean up the mess, inspect the tracks for damage and try to find every single part of the bicycles. Might sound crazy but I am sure there is a regulation somewhere calling for an extreme clean up when tracks are obstructed to ensure that there are not further accidents (like a derailing) from the first accident.

Please note, I am not saying that a bicycle part would cause a derailing. I am saying that in the event of an accident, regulations would require thorough checking of the area. No matter what the accident.

That is good that they got the guy. but why is the "unemployed" part important? Need more detail on that, is it conected to why he did it? Was he a former JR employee or something?

Al Stewart - The "unemployed" is important as it sensationalizes the news somewhat and gets people commenting about unemployed people in Japan on the site. Note that this wasn't one of the news streams from Kyodo or AP; rather a Japan Today written story.

Weather's getting cold... not surprised an unemployed man did it. Free stay in a warm jail with 3 meals a day.

Whether this guy is a mental case or not, make him pay for the crime.

The story has been updated.

How long does it take a train to stop? Could the engineer not see the bicycles until it was too late? Didn't anyone see the man tossing bicycles?

I am saying that in the event of an accident, regulations would require thorough checking of the area.

Is that why they leave personal effects on the tracks after a jumper?

I could see 70,000 affected on a Sunday. It's not just the trains immediately approaching the area, ALL the trains have to stop so thaey aren't bunching-up on each other or worse, running into the back of the train in front of them. Even people who weren't going as far as the point where the bicycles were would have been delayed.

He wants "three hots and a cot"? It is getting cold outside.

@ smithinjapan "I see someone's going through the threads and hitting the 'bad' button again. I agree!!!!!

Some old cranks throw bicycles. Others poke bad buttons. ;-)

ModeratorNov. 14, 2011 - 04:40PM JST The story has been updated.

Dear Mod/Editor, I'd like to propose that you add a little note - say, something like "Story updated: Nov. 14, 2011 - 12:52 PM JST " - at either the bottom of the article or in the thread, when you make updates.

Moderator: The posted time indicates an update.

Cleanup took an hour? I was thinking the same thing, and I don't know why you were voted down.. It seems that everything in Japan, even the simplist of things, takes an unnecessarily lonnnnggg time.

Moderator: The posted time indicates an update.

I see. Thanks for pointing that out. I shall endeavor to check back to see if the story posting happened after the seemingly silly comment, in future.

As long as things are being thrown about, I hope they throw this nutcase in the loony house for the rest of his life. We train riders would be a lot safer ...

In my country, people put concrete blocks on the train tracks. People, mostly Romanian gangsters, steal copper cables from the overhead electricity lines. Train and bus personell are threatened and assaulted on a daily basis, mostly by rebellious youngsters. Bikes aren't thrown on train tracks, they get stolen instead. Just some facts from the Netherlands.