Naked Man Arrested After Allegedly “Surfing” on Top of Moving Locomotive

Residents of a rural Colorado county were treated to a sight they are unlikely to forget—or successfully remove from their memories—when a completely naked man allegedly rode on top of a moving Union Pacific locomotive.

The Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office identified the unconventional passenger as Daniel Ray Ballance of Quartzsite, Arizona.

Authorities say Ballance smashed a window to enter the locomotive’s cab before climbing onto its roof as the train traveled through northeastern Colorado. He also allegedly sounded the train’s horn, apparently ensuring that anyone who had not already noticed the nude railroad enthusiast would look in his direction.

Multiple witnesses contacted authorities after spotting Ballance riding on top of the locomotive without clothing.

Deputies eventually stopped the journey and took him into custody Thursday. Fortunately, no injuries were reported.

The sheriff’s office later announced the arrest with a social-media message demonstrating that law enforcement officers occasionally encounter cases for which ordinary police language is simply inadequate.

“For those of you who had the unfortunate experience of seeing this gentleman surfing naked on top of a moving locomotive yesterday, I want you to know that he was arrested on felony and misdemeanor charges,” the department wrote.

According to deputies, Ballance subsequently expressed his fondness for “vodka, beer and playing the banjo.”

Those interests were temporarily interrupted by his arrest.

“Unfortunately, we had to separate him from those loves and the train ride,” the sheriff’s office added. “Instead, Daniel is spending some time at an all-expenses-paid stay in jail, where he is presumed innocent until proven guilty.”

Ballance was booked into the Sedgwick County Jail on a combination of felony and misdemeanor allegations. Authorities have not yet released a complete list of the charges or explained what prompted him to climb onto the locomotive without his clothes.

Sedgwick County sits in Colorado’s far northeastern corner near the Nebraska border and has a population of only approximately 2,400 people.

For a brief period Thursday, it had one additional visitor—although he arrived without luggage, a ticket or pants.

Sources: Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office, FOX 10 Phoenix