Darius McCollum was in court Wednesday for his 27th transit-related arrest: He allegedly stole a bus from Trailways’ Hoboken depot and was caught driving on the Van Wyck Expressway on Tuesday.
But it may not have been his only joyride of late: He may have stolen a bus from the same lot just three weeks ago, going all the way to Washington D.C.
McCollum, 45, told officers about that ride after his Tuesday arrest for stolen property and other charges, according to reports. D.C. officials are fingerprinting the recovered Trailways bus.
A judge held McCollum on $100,000 bail, which his lawyer, Stephen Jackson, said his mother and fiancee were having a tough time raising.
The train buff, who has a knack for impersonating transit workers, first made headlines 30 years ago as a teenager driving an E train to the World Trade Center.
Jackson blames McCollum’s Asperger’s syndrome, which is a form of autism, for his transit-obsessed crimes and hopes “this is an opportunity to get him some help.” He told reporters: “It’s the nature of the disorder.”
