A chilling video has emerged of an incident involving a Muni Metro train in the Sunset District that occurred on Sept. 24, where the operator appeared to lose control of the vehicle. The video appears to show the operator asleep or losing consciousness at the controls of the crowded N-Judah light-rail train.
The runaway vehicle, which barreled unchecked through the Sunset Tunnel, narrowly averted a catastrophic head-on collision with an oncoming vehicle, reaching speeds of up to 40 miles per hour as it hurled towards Duboce Park.
The video footage, likely from onboard cameras, was uploaded to the Reddit r/sanfrancisco by the user cheezball_ on Monday afternoon after the user obtained it via a public records request. A little over 2 minutes into the footage, the operator appears to nod off or lose consciousness as the train increases speed while in the tunnel, up to 50 miles per hour as it exits.
Passengers were flung about the cabin with alarming force, some falling and striking their heads against the window amid the chaos. In the sudden aftermath, distraught and tearful riders shouted, “Open the doors!” The operator blamed a mechanical failure. “It wouldn’t stop,” she is heard insisting on the video, as she tries to calm the shaken passengers. However, the newly released footage appears to reveal the driver nodding off, implying a grave lapse in vigilance that propelled the train into peril.
The leaked footage emerges amid the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency’s severe fiscal crisis, as the agency grapples with a $307 million budget deficit. Meanwhile, Mayor Daniel Lurie has proposed a parcel tax — a flat annual levy on property owners — to address systemic policy failures at the SFMTA. A recent citywide survey revealed a decline in ridership, attributed to concerns about public safety and cleanliness.
When reached for comment, a spokesperson for SFMTA sent a statement that the agency “has completed its investigation, which confirms error as a result of operator fatigue. The agency is addressing the matter in accordance with internal protocols and the relevant contract, which included placing the operator on non-driving status.”
This story has been updated.