Man, 47, arrested after allegedly carjacking VTA bus

Suspect caught because he didn’t disengage brakes

SANTACLARA>> A man commandeered a Valley Transportation Authority bus early Tuesday morning and drove through stop lights for a couple of miles before being forced to a smoky stop because the air brakes were still on, according to the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office.

A lone passenger who was still on board suffered minor injuries, and the sheriff’s office is investigating the incident as a carjacking, according a news release from the agency.

Jonathan Clemson, 47, was arrested by Santa Clara police, and the investigation was assumed by the sheriff’s office because it operates as the county’s transit police. Clemson was booked into jail on suspicion of crimes including carjacking, kidnapping, false imprisonment and auto theft.

It was at 7:48 a.m. when deputies were alerted to a disturbance on a VTA bus traveling near Scott Boulevard and Space Park Drive, according the sheriff’s office. The bus driver called 911 to report that a man — later identified as Clemson — was “acting erratic and became belligerent while on board the bus.”

The driver pulled over and parked the bus, then called for help while standing in the stair entry area at the front of the vehicle. While the driver was making the call, Clemson got into the driver’s seat and began operating the bus.

That prompted the driver to try and retake control, leading to a brief struggle that ended with an exiting passenger grabbing the driver and taking him off the bus as it began to drive away, sheriff’s Deputy Russell Davis said.

With Clemson at the wheel, the bus traveled south at speeds between 20 and 30 mph, through stop lights and stop signs, with a single passenger still on board. A few minutes and about two miles later, near Monroe and Fremont streets a few blocks from Santa Clara University, the bus stopped due in large part because Clemson was unable to disengage the air brakes. That produced enough friction smoke that the fire department responded along with police.

The bus did not collide with any vehicles, and no additional injuries were reported, Davis said.

VTA spokesperson Brandi Childress said the agency could not yet comment on whether the driver followed proper operating and security procedures when the carjacking occurred, citing the ongoing sheriff’s investigation.

“As fluid, and frankly downright scary, as this incident probably was for those involved, we are grateful that our operator and the two passengers on board at the time are safe,” Childress wrote in an email. “VTA is fully cooperating with the investigation and applauds the quick actions taken by our operator and local authorities that ultimately led to the apprehension of the suspect.”

Anyone with information for sheriff’s investigators can contact 408-808-4500 or leave an anonymous tip with 408-808-4431.