BNSF had to be warned to temporarily stop any train traffic through Ferndale after a vehicle became stuck at the tracks. That marked the end of a 10-minute high-speed pursuit of the stolen vehicle that had reached speeds of 85mph through Ferndale.
About 5am this morning, January 12th, a Whatcom County Sheriff deputy located a vehicle reported stolen a few hours earlier. It was occupied by a female driver and heading south on Northwest Drive from W Wiser Lake Road. The suspect vehicle turned west onto Axton Road and was reported doing 70mph through the curve by Old Settler Drive. The suspect then got on I-5 northbound from Main Street, exited at Portal Way and turned southbound on Portal Way, continuing on 2nd Avenue.
A deputy reported seeing a train coming as they continued pursuing the vehicle through Griffintown. The suspect vehicle continued parallel to the railroad tracks on 2nd Avenue past Washington to Bass Drive. Instead of following the road to the left, the suspect vehicle went around the barricades at the old 2nd Avenue railroad crossing and become stuck in the mud and debris just short of the railroad tracks. Ten minutes from the start of the pursuit, the female driver was taken into custody.
According to jail records, Jana Alaridova was charged with attempting to elude, possession of a stolen vehicle and 2nd degree possession of stolen property.
Click for more information
Click for more informationThe deputy on the scene radioed the train was not going to be able to get by until they moved the disabled vehicle. ASAP Towing responded and had the vehicle cleared by 6:10am. Initial indications were the vehicle had only suffered a flat tire.
According to comments by the family on Facebook and deputies on the scene, the vehicle had been stolen earlier from a driveway in Bellingham around 2:30am. According to one of the owners at the scene, it is a 2016 Honda CR-V dealer vehicle.