Metra Trains Delayed Due to 'Suspicious Item' Hanging from Overpass in Wheaton

Metra trains were delayed up to two hours Wednesday when a suspicious item was found suspended from the Illinois Prairie Path bridge above the railroad tracks in Wheaton.

According to a press release from Wheaton police, someone reported the 'suspicious item' at around 1:35 p.m. Wednesday. Police and fire officials arrived on the scene to find the item hanging in mid-air on fishing line underneath the prairie path overpass. 

The DuPage County Sheriff’s Office Explosives Unit responded to the scene. Inspection of the suspicious item revealed that no explosives were involved. The suspicious item was a game device commonly referred to as a geo-caching game piece.

The railroad and pedestrian overpass were reopened for traffic at approximately 3:20 p.m.

Wheaton police department detectives in conjunction with the Union Pacific Railroad Police will investigate who is responsible for suspending the game piece from the railroad overpass.

It is unlawful for anyone to trespass upon or place any item on or near railroad property, according to the release. Anyone with information is encouraged to phone detective commander James Volpe at 630-260-2055.