Skateboarder hitches ride on back of fast-moving Wellington passenger train

Police say a man who hitched a ride on the back of a passenger train in Wellington is lucky to be alive. Photo / Supplied

• A man holding a skateboard has been filmed hitching a one-handed ride into Wellington City on the back of a passenger train.
• A shocked witness said the train was travelling about 80km/h as the man raised his skateboard into the air and appeared to yell in delight after capturing the attention of State Highway 2 motorists.
• Police are looking for the man, who they say “put his life at risk for no benefit” and was lucky to escape injury or electrocution.

Shocking footage has emerged showing a skateboarder hanging by one hand off the back of a fast-moving Wellington passenger train last night.

The man – his skateboard in one hand as he held on to the train with his other – was filmed at dusk by the stunned passenger of a car driving alongside the train on State Highway 2 into Wellington.

“It was bloody crazy,” said the man who captured the dangerous incident.

“When we saw him we were just shocked. We couldn’t believe it.”

He estimated the train was travelling at 80km/h as the unidentified skateboarder – Wellington Harbour to his left, motorists to his right – raised his skateboard into the air and appeared to yell in delight upon realising he was being filmed.

“We saw a police car with its siren on going towards the next station and we realised somebody had probably called them already,” the witness said.

Police were alerted to someone riding dangerously on the outside of a Hutt Valley train travelling towards Wellington about 8pm, a spokesman said.

“The man got off at Ngauranga Station but left before police could locate him. He is lucky not to have been injured or electrocuted by the overhead wires, and put his life at risk for no benefit.”

Metlink group manager Samantha Gain said: “Metlink is horrified by the incident. To protect all users of the rail corridor, we are helping the police with their inquiries.”

Police wanted to hear from anyone with information about the incident, the spokesman said.

“Please update us online now or call 105, using the reference number P061545732”

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