Cops: Man stole Greyhound bus for Christmas visit

WATERTOWN, N.Y. - Authorities say a 39-year-old man stole a Greyhound bus in Syracuse and decided to a make a Christmas Day visit to a friend in northern New York before he was caught.

Authorities say Andrew Hickey of Peekskill, Westchester County, boarded the bus Sunday morning because he was cold and the vehicle was running and warm while being fueled at the Syracuse transportation center.

Officials say Hickey drove off and headed north to a friend's home in Watertown, 60 miles away. Police say he has a commercial driver's license and knows how to drive a bus.

Greyhound disabled the runaway bus electronically two hours later in Watertown. The company notified Jefferson County sheriff's deputies, who made the arrest.

Hickey has been charged with stealing the bus. He's in the county jail.

It wasn't known if he had a lawyer.

[JMoney2099]

I have a question.

Is it procedure for Greyhound to leave a bus running with the keys in the ignition?

[sobobx]

There are two grounds of possible deviant and mentally unbalanced behavior: 1) stealing a Greyhound bus, and 2) EVEN WANTING TO RIDE ON ONE LEGALLY!!

[kainos2]

Just waiting for this to be blamed on mercilessly "oppressive" conservative economic policies that fail to entitle every American to a car no matter their income...

[RetLAEnvEmployee]

All the airport security and garbage that we go through to make a flight? A clown can walk up to a running 20 ton bus and take off for 2 hours before anyone notices and shuts the bus down with the radio transponders/GPS units on the bus. Lucky, he did not take a fire truck or army tank from the National Guard too. He could start his own fire and put it out.

[Montana5]

The guy just stole a bus. Then he got caught. Take a Valium.

[Jhihmoac]

"Just leave the driving to..." - skip it!

[credibility2]

We're being over-run by mental defectives. More and more low life idiots making headlines like this one. I'll just bet the imbecile laughed the entire time he was riding the stolen bus. Selfish and lacking in any regard for others or the law.

[babydriver57]

He can kiss that CDL goodbye, he won't get another chance to use it.

[barbaram99]

Sure the the busses would have on board computer systems that can be used today. Years ago the drivers were talking about a comm system for the bus. Don't know if they ever put that in.I rode the hound last in 1998 with my sighted roommate.