Man arrested for 'threatening' MBTA riders with pet rat named Jerry
MALDEN - An MBTA rider is accused of "threatening" fellow passengers with his pet rat - and police say this isn't the first time he and his rodent have caused problems on the T.
Transit police arrested 57-year-old Jeffery Stuart, Boston man who they say is "well known" for causing problems with the rat named Jerry.
He was taken into custody at the Oak Grove T station at about 4 p.m. Thursday evening. Police said he was also drinking and being disorderly.
A prosecutor said in court Friday that Stuart was "yelling at patrons and put a rat near their faces." He was arrested after allegedly refusing repeated requests from officers to leave the station, and the prosecutor said he threatened to assault and kill the police officers who took him into custody.
A lawyer for Stuart argued that police didn't identify the passengers who complained about the rat, making the allegation hard to prove. Jerry has been turned over to animal control.
"He's very concerned about what they did with Jerry," the lawyer said. "That's his pet."
Prosecutors want Stuart to stay away from the MBTA. The judge said had concerns about Stuart's mental competency and called for a doctor.
In December, police said riders felt "unsafe" when a man had his pet rat sitting on his shoulder on the bus at Jackson Square.
