It was a strange sight, even by Baltimore standards.
An abandoned Hyundai spent this past weekend perched high off the ground on the Mount Royal light rail tracks near the Maryland Institute College of Art.
Maryland Transportation Administration spokesperson Courtney Mims said the car was discovered Saturday night and removed midday Sunday.
The incident drew attention both in person and virtually.
On a Reddit post gaining traction online, users joked “Oh, it’s a Hyundai” — referencing the nationwide trend of thieves stealing Kia and Hyundai vehicles after a vulnerability was discovered in some models and spread through social media in 2022.
In Baltimore, auto thefts have been on the rise, with more than 1,000 cars being stolen every month since June.
But, in this case, the car was not stolen, Mims said.
That doesn’t make the feat any less impressive to Brass Tap owner Michael Lowenthal, whose restaurant is parallel to the stop.
“I don’t know how they got that far,” Lowenthal said.
He said it’s not uncommon to see a car accidentally turn onto the tracks thinking it’s a continuation of Dolphin Street. Though usually, he said, drivers will quickly back up and change course.
Not this time. Instead, the driver drove more than a half mile over bumps, gravel, and train tracks before leaving the car on an elevated ramp.
“I don’t see how you could go on the tracks if you weren’t impaired in some way,” Lowenthal said.
The incident did not cause any delays to service, Mims said, and the Mt. Royal light rail stop is operating as normal Monday.
