Commuter Taking Photos Alarms Passengers, Removed from Train at Odenton

Passengers on the No. 419 MARC train asked that a man photographing the scene be removed from the train Tuesday morning at the Odenton station.

The self-described “train enthusiast” was taking a series of photographs, then was briefly detained by federal agents after raising concerns among fellow passengers, reports The Baltimore Sun.

The unidentified man represented no danger, said 1st Sgt. Jonathan Green, a spokesman for the Maryland Transportation Authority Police. Riders had pointed out the man, who they deemed suspicious, to a train conductor. The conductor contacted members of a federal Visible Intermodal Prevention and Response (VIPR) team, who were doing a routine check at the station at the time.

The other passengers wanted the man, who was taking pictures of "the train, tracks, station and security cameras," taken off the train, Green told the Sun.

The VIPR team asked the man to get off the train, and he "did so cooperatively," Green said.

The man told agents he is a "train enthusiast" who enjoys taking pictures of his daily commute to his job in Washington, Green said. The passenger even offered to show his photos to investigators, who let him continue on on a later train.