Homeless encampment discovered on top of California Amtrak station
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A homeless encampment was discovered on top of an Amtrak station in Northern California on Thursday. (Antioch Police Department)
A homeless encampment was discovered on top of an Amtrak station in Northern California on Thursday after a witness reported seeing a person lower a bicycle from the roof, officials said.
The Antioch Police Department said in a Facebook post that officers determined someone set up an unsafe camp on the roof of the station, located about 45 miles east of San Francisco.
Officials from the city's public works department placed an officer in a boom truck, and then lifted him to the roof.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Police shared pictures on Facebook of the camp, which included a yellow tent in the middle of a concrete structure.
California has been hit with an epidemic of homelessness, including in Antioch. (Antioch Police Department)
"Due to safety concerns, the camp had to be immediately abated," police said.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The person who was living atop the station was described by police as a "transient subject," but authorities did not disclose how long the person had been living there.
Police said a "transient subject" was living atop the Antioch train station. (Antioch Police Department)
The police department said "homelessness is not a crime," and officers try to "get our homeless citizens into services so they can have a stable environment."