Gold Line light rail service between Sacramento and Folsom was disrupted again Wednesday due to another copper wire theft along the tracks, an incident authorities say is linked to a suspected serial thief who was arrested hours earlier following an overnight operation near the rail corridor.
According to the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office, deputies assigned to Sacramento Regional Transit took 51-year-old Jesse Jeremiah into custody after locating him near the tracks with stolen infrastructure materials believed to be connected to multiple thefts that have repeatedly interrupted Gold Line service, including Wednesday’s outage.
“Deputies assigned to Sacramento Regional Transit arrested 51-year-old Jesse Jeremiah this morning, after an overnight operation,” the Sheriff’s Office said in a statement. “Deputies located Jeremiah near the tracks with a wagon tied to an ongoing serial copper theft investigation. Inside the wagon, deputies found 18 large strands of copper wire belonging to Regional Transit and multiple burglary tools used in these thefts.”
SacRT reported that service was halted for several hours Wednesday morning as crews responded to damage caused by the theft, forcing the agency to implement a bus bridge between Sunrise Station and Historic Folsom. Five stations were affected during the disruption along the eastern portion of the Gold Line, which runs from near the Amtrak station in downtown Sacramento to Historic Folsom.
Transit officials said the interruption followed a similar copper wire theft earlier this week, marking the second Gold Line disruption in a matter of days attributed to vandalism along the same corridor.
Investigators say the arrest stemmed from a larger investigation into what authorities describe as an ongoing pattern of copper wire thefts targeting light rail infrastructure. Following Jeremiah’s arrest, deputies conducted a search of his storage unit, where they recovered additional copper wire, identifiable clothing, and a metal cart.
“Surveillance video further linked these items to additional copper theft cases, one of which caused approximately $73,000 in damage,” the Sheriff’s Office said.
Detectives believe Jeremiah may be responsible for both recent Gold Line thefts as well as other incidents that may not yet have been reported. The Sheriff’s Office said his booking photo is being released in hopes the public can assist investigators in identifying him in connection with additional thefts.
A records check revealed Jeremiah had an active felony warrant at the time of his arrest and was on probation for attempted grand theft, vandalism, burglary, and resisting arrest, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
Jeremiah was booked into the Sacramento County Main Jail, where he remains ineligible for bail.
The latest disruption highlights an escalating and costly challenge for SacRT, which has reported a sharp rise in copper wire thefts across its system. The agency says it documented 49 vandalism incidents involving copper wire theft in 2025 alone, resulting in at least $500,000 in repair costs. Each incident can disable signal systems and require extensive inspections before service can safely resume.
SacRT has said the surge in thefts coincides with record copper prices in global markets, driven by strong demand, ongoing supply constraints, and broader economic uncertainty. Transit agencies nationwide have reported similar crimes targeting exposed rail infrastructure.
In response, SacRT has expanded patrols along the light rail system, increased camera surveillance, and deployed new enforcement technology, including AI-assisted drones. The agency is also working to replace copper components with stainless steel where feasible to reduce future thefts.
SacRT said full Gold Line service was restored Wednesday afternoon after test trains cleared the affected section.
Anyone with information related to the investigation is encouraged to contact the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office at 916-874-5115.
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