A drunk man jumped off a platform at a metro station in Novosibirsk and started making his way down the tunnel on foot, paralyzing service on the line and forcing passengers to wait in crowded railcars while police searched for the offender, news reports said Thursday.
The man, identified as a 39-year-old native of one of the former Soviet republics, was detained and might be deported because he appeared to have been living in Russia without proper immigration documents, the regional Interior Ministry said in a statement.
The man was arrested after he jumped off the platform at the Rechnoy Vokzal station during the evening rush hour Wednesday, and started to walk towards Oktyabrskaya, the next station down the line, the ministry said.
Power was cut off and service stopped until the subway police detained the suspect, who appeared to be intoxicated.
One of the passengers, Dmitry Vovney, quoted a metro engine driver as saying that "some psycho is running around" in the tunnel, Sib.fm reported.
Another passenger, Maria Zavyalova tweeted that "being stuck in the tunnel is some kind of fun. Especially if you are afraid of crowds and enclosed spaces."
Service on the Novosibirsk subway has since resumed.
