Off the Rails Trailer (2016)

Trailer for Off the Rails.

Growing up in Queens, N.Y., Darius McCollum sought refuge in the subway, away from school bullies who harassed him because of his Asperger's syndrome. In the transit system, he enjoyed the company of conductors who taught him how to operate the trains and made him feel like their equal. By age eight, he had memorized every facet of the system. As a teenager, Darius drove a full train independently, making all stops and announcements without incident. But his condition made his obsession uncontrollable, leading him to commandeer hundreds of buses and trains throughout adulthood. Spending more than half his life in maximum security prisons as a result of over 32 convictions, his repeated incarcerations highlight flaws in a justice system ill-equipped to handle individuals like Darius. His willing assistance to make transit more secure was rewarded with solitary confinement, and his eventual release forced him back to the only thing he knows.