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(9:40 AM) Pair Charged After Causing Crash Between Train, Car

Two people have been charged after reportedly causing a train to strike a car July 22 in Ripley.

Christopher J. Weston, 25, and a 16-year-old male, both of Westfield were arraigned in Ripley Town Court after an investigation into the crash at the Station Road crossing involving the Norfolk Southern Railroad tracks.

The Criminal Investigation Division of the Chautauqua County Sheriff’s Office and the Westfield Police Department determined that Weston and the teenager poured gasoline in a vehicle belonging to Weston and then place the car on the train tracks.

“This was done with the intent that a train would strike the vehicle and then set the vehicle on fire,” the Sheriff’s Office said in a press release.

Both were charged with unlawful interference with a railroad train. Weston, who was additionally charged with third-degree attempted arson, was remanded to Chautauqua County Jail. The youth was released under supervision.

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