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BART PD has arrested a suspect in connection with a vandalism spree that hit three downtown San Francisco stations and caused hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage. 28-year-old Saqueo Delcidmontenegro of San Francisco was spotted aboard a BART train Tuesday evening by a BART PD Transit Ambassador who recognized him from an informational flyer. Officers were called to the train, and they arrested Delcidmontenegro.

Since October 5, 29 large glass panels have been damaged at the entrances to Embarcadero, Montgomery, and Powell Street stations. Many of the destroyed panels are part of new canopies that are being built over the entrances to downtown San Francisco stations. The canopies are required by state law to protect new outdoor escalators that are being installed at BART’s downtown San Francisco stations. The work is a vital part of BART’s efforts to improve the daily rider experience. The total cost of replacing all the damaged panels is estimated at more than $500,000.

Delcidmontenegro has been booked into San Francisco County Jail on five counts of felony vandalism.

"Some people read, some people work, some people apply makeup,” says Joanna Sokua of riding BART. “I draw.”  

Since 2017, Sokua has been creating what she calls “BARToons” during her morning and evening commute. You might say she is a seasoned BARTist. In the past seven years, she has drawn more than 170 BART illustrations. While on the train, she snaps photos of scenes and passengers that spark an idea, and when she gets home, she’ll sketch them out or, most often, superimpose pop culture figures onto the images using a digital pen.  

The drawings depict Scooby Doo and Shaggy waiting for a train; Van Gough seated near the doors with a pipe and bandage over his ear; Doc Brown and Marty McFly from Back to the Future standing on a legacy train; Clark Kent looking at his phone with his Superman suit peeking out. Sometimes, she’ll just draw a passenger as they are, sitting on the train engrossed in whatever they’re doing. 

Sokua works in banking, helping small business owners secure financing for their ventures. She is one of many artists who have been inspired by their BART rides, from photographers roused by the system's striking angles to novelists who wrote their books almost entirely onboard. There have even been plays set on BART trains. 

On her BART ride from the East Bay to her office in San Francisco, Sokua is not thinking about her data-and-dollars day job. Mostly, she’s looking for subjects to draw. The creative exercise helps her unwind, and it’s deeply entertaining for those who keep up with her work on her Instagram (@the_und3rwrit3r), where she regularly posts her latest drawings.  

The artist said she doesn’t board a train with an idea for her next drawing. She simply waits for inspiration to strike. 

“People always ask me how I decide what to draw,” she said. “It just comes to me. I see something, and I know exactly what I want to do.” A drawing of Jack Sparrow was born after seeing a fellow rider in a headband on her train, for example.  

BART proves ripe for inspiration because “you see people from all walks of life,” Sokua said. She’s even made friends onboard.  

“I take the same train every day at the same time. You see the same people over and over,” she said. “It becomes a sort of community actually." 

Most of the time, people don’t know Sokua has used them for a drawing, though sometimes they find themselves or their loved ones on her Instagram page. One memorable instance was when she drew a man who “looked like Jesus” sitting next to a woman praying over a rosary. It's one of her favorite drawings, least of all because the man’s wife saw the drawing on Instagram and commented, “That’s my personal Jesus!” Once, she drew an Oscar the Grouch cartoon, and the person operating the train found the image on Facebook, commenting something to the effect of, “Hey! I was operating that train!”  

Sokua said she creates her BARToons to “make people laugh and make their rides more fun.”  

She doesn’t want to offend with her drawings, she just thinks everyone can always use a healthy dash of humor in their day.  

“You might as well make the most of your commute,” she said, adding that she “100% recommends” doodling on BART.

Engineers Week, held annually the third week of February, is a weeklong celebration of the engineers, technicians, and technologists whose work makes a difference in our world.  

Engineers at BART play a critical role in keeping our riders safe and on the move. Our agency is home to more than 180 engineers who encompass a staggering number of disciplines, from structures and electrical to traction power and computer systems (to name just a few).  

“As a Professional Engineer myself, I am routinely impressed and inspired by BART’s engineers,” said General Manager Bob Powers. “I thank each and every one of them for their ongoing work to imagine and implement projects that improve and advance our system.” 

Over the past year, our engineers have launched and progressed an array of major projects, including but not limited to: 

• Next Generation Fare Gates (systemwide replacement of our 20-year-old fare gates) 
•  Communications-Based Train Control, or CBTC (replacement of the systemwide signaling system) 
• Rail Inspection Vehicle, or RIV (our newly acquired geometry car with advanced track inspection capabilities that will transform our rail operations) 
• 34.5kV Cable Replacement (inspection and replacement of 34.5 kV cables along the M‐Line and R-Line), Civic Center Station Scissor Stairs (part of Measure RR system improvements, adding two additional "scissored" staircases at both ends of the station) 
• The Transbay Tube Seismic Retrofit (installation of a steel liner plates, and new water pumping system inside the tube).  

“BART engineers are some of the most hardworking, knowledgeable, and creative in the business, and they ensure we are honoring our commitment to riders to provide safe, clean, and reliable train service,” said Sylvia Lamb, Assistant General Manager of the Office of Infrastructure Delivery. “Our engineers are also working tirelessly to develop opportunities for innovation and the utilization of cutting-edge technology so that we may honor this commitment for years to come.” 

A photo of newly hired junior engineers. Pictured: (Back row left to right) Venus Ku, Christian Chaves, Hein Htet San, Mariela Gonzalez, Jia Wu, and Richard Devera. (Front row left to right) Artem Morozov, Brendan Dolan, Kevin Pham, Audrey Chuakay, and Peyton Hill. Not pictured: Jacob-Crispulo Rojo.  

The theme of Engineers Week is "Welcome to the Future," and that could not be more relevant to all of us at BART. In the last six months, we’ve welcomed 12 junior engineers in a multitude of disciplines. Their insight will strengthen and enhance our ongoing engineering projects as well as those that will be undertaken in the coming months, years, and decades. Welcome aboard! 

BART currently has job postings for engineer roles, as well as a robust Summer Engineering Internship Program for students. Learn more at bart.gov/jobs. 

On Wednesday, October 25, 2023, the BART Police Department will be hosting its annual Trunk or Treat Halloween event at the Fruitvale BART Station between 4-7 p.m.

The event will be held at the Fruitvale BART Parking Structure Level 1. 

Children are invited to wear their Halloween costumes, but costumes are not mandatory. Kids will get to collect candy and non-candy treats, play games and win prizes. 

The event is open to children under the age of 12 and entrance is free. Children must be accompanied by an adult. 

View the PDF flyer.