FBI: Rewards still offered for info on ’95 deadly derailment in Arizona
A train derailment southwest of Phoenix in 1995 killed the train conductor and injured 100 people. (FBI)
PHOENIX (AP) - The FBI is reminding the public that a hefty reward remains on the table a quarter-century after someone sabotaged railroad tracks in the Arizona desert, resulting in the deadly derailment of an Amtrak passenger train.
Friday was the 25th anniversary of the Oct. 9, 1995, derailment of a Sunset Limited train in a remote area 70 miles southwest of Phoenix. The train conductor was killed and 100 people hurt, including 12 who were seriously injured.
The train was traveling from El Paso, Texas to Los Angeles when it crossed an "altered" track in Palo Verde, Arizona. The train's weight sent it careening into a ravine.
Rewards offered by the FBI, Amtrak and the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office for information leading to arrest and conviction total up to $310,000.
“A hallmark of the FBI is that we don’t forget,” said Sean Kaul, special agent in charge of the FBI Phoenix Field Office. “There were children onboard the train as young as 9 months old, an innocent man lost his life, and many others were injured. For 25 years the victims of this crime, their family, and friends have suffered. We will continue to aggressively pursue this investigation, for as long as it takes. We are determined to seek justice for the victims of this senseless crime.”