Morris County Man Stole 32 Freight Train Horns, Feds Allege

MORRIS COUNTY, NJ — A Morris County man was taken into custody and charged with stealing horns from 32 locomotives following a multi-agency investigation, the U.S. Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General said.

On Oct. 17, Jeremy Hayes, a New Jersey Transit employee, was charged with receiving stolen property in Roxbury Township, according to officials.

According to the inspector general's office, Hayes is suspected of stealing, transporting and storing 32 locomotive horns belonging to Norfolk Southern, CSX Transportation and other railroad companies.

The investigation into Hayes was overseen by the US Department of Transportation, three railroad police departments and the FBI, officials said.

According to a spokesperson for NJ Transit, Hayes has since been suspended from his position as a machinist.

None of the horns were stolen from NJ Transit locomotives, the spokesperson confirmed on Thursday.

According to online advertising from companies selling them, railroad-grade locomotive horns can cost between $1,700 and $9,000 each. For safe operation, Federal Railroad Administration regulations mandate that each lead locomotive be equipped with a locomotive horn.

This is not the first time train horns have been taken in Morris County; in July 2022, the Tri-State Railway Historic Society announced that the horn from its preserved #19 Morristown and Erie ALCO engine was stolen while it was on display in Whippany.

Read More: Artifact Horn Stolen From Morristown Historic Train In Morris Co.

According to the Tri-State Railway Historical Society, the thief used a ladder to climb the locomotive's hood and unbolt the distinctive Nathan K3L horn.

"Stealing horns is a federal crime," King said. "This has been an ongoing issue throughout New Jersey for the past few years. It has happened in Whippany before too," Richie King, President of the Tri-State Railway Historical Society, told Patch.