Deputies arrest theft suspect after copper wire stolen from SacRT light rail
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- Sheriff’s deputies arrested a suspect linked to light rail transit copper wire thefts.
- The thefts forced the Sacramento Regional Transit to halt Gold Line twice in three days.
- RT officials are adding patrols, cameras and drones to prevent copper theft.
Sheriff’s deputies arrested a man suspected of stealing large amounts of copper wire from Sacramento Regional Transit’s Gold Line, which forced officials to shut down light rail service twice in the past three days.
Jesse Jeremiah, 51, was arrested on suspicion of malicious destruction of railroad property, vandalism and unlawfully stealing and carrying away copper materials, jail records show. He faces six felony counts tied to those criminal charges.
Jeremiah also faces misdemeanor charges of trespassing on rail transit property and drug possession. He was booked into the Sacramento County Main Jail. His bail was set at $10,000. He also was held without bail on suspicion of violating probation in connection with a recent felony vandalism case.
Sacramento Superior Court records show the vandalism case, filed June 23, concluded with a Jeremiah’s conviction July 8 and his sentencing Jan. 9. It’s unclear whether Jeremiah was convicted of the felony vandalism charge or whether he was ordered to serve time in custody; those court records are not available online.
The Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office on Wednesday afternoon released Jeremiah’s photo because investigators believe he may be responsible for other unreported thefts.
“He is a career criminal with a lengthy criminal history, and his booking photo is being shared in hopes the public can help identify him in connection with other possible crimes,” Lt. Amar Gandhi, a sheriff’s spokesperson, said in a news release.
Jeremiah was arrested after an overnight operation by deputies assigned to RT. The Sheriff’s Office is contracted to provide police services to RT.
Gandhi said deputies found Jeremiah near the tracks with a wagon linked to the ongoing serial copper theft investigation. The sheriff’s spokesperson said deputies found in the wagon 18 large strands of copper wire that belonged to the transit service, along with burglary tools used in these thefts.
Deputies later went to Jeremiah’s storage unit, where they found more copper wire, identifiable clothing and a metal cart, according to the Sheriff’s Office. Gandhi said security camera video linked these items to other copper theft cases, one of which caused about $73,000 in damage. Gandhi said Jeremiah, at the time of his arrest this week, had a felony warrant for his arrest and was on probation for attempted grand theft, vandalism, burglary and resisting arrest.
In social media posts Wednesday afternoon, RT officials said they were taking action to prevent copper theft, “a growing national trend impacting public infrastructure.”
RT officials said they were increasing patrols in high-risk areas, adding security cameras, launching AI-powered drone technology later this year and replacing copper wire with stainless steel.
“Thank you to the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department for the arrest related to copper wire theft along the Gold Line. This crime caused service interruptions between Sunrise and Historic Folsom stations,” RT officials said in the social media posts. “These thefts pose serious safety risks, cost thousands of dollars per incident and have a huge impact on our system and riders.”
RT officials asked riders and the rest of the public to remain vigilant and report suspicious activity near tracks or stations immediately.
Investigators asked anyone with information relevant to this copper theft investigation to call the Sheriff’s Office at 916-874-5115.
This story was originally published January 14, 2026 at 6:08 PM.
