Pet Rat “Jerry” Used to Menace Transit Riders, Police Say
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Man Arrested for Drunkenly ‘Threatening’ Public Transit Riders With Pet Rat Named Jerry, Police Say

Pedro WolfeMar 17th, 2023, 12:16 pm
Pet Rat

The latest in a string of public transit incidents, a man has been arrested for allegedly “threatening” train riders with his pet rat. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

A 57-year-old Boston man was arrested after “threatening” fellow MBTA train riders with his pet rat. Police say that this isn’t the first time that he or his furry friend Jerry have caused a stir on public transit.

Officers arrived at the Oak Grove station around 4 p.m. and said that the suspect was consuming alcohol and refused to leave the scene. Reportedly, “Jerry the Rat” was handed over to animal control following the arrest.

The unnamed man at the center of the incident has become a bit of an internet celebrity within Boston over the past year. Several TikToks and Reddit posts have been dedicated to tracking his frequent appearances across both public trains and buses.

He first made headlines in December 2022 when he was escorted off an MBTA bus for having a pet rat on his shoulder.

When police initially announced the incident, Twitter users piled in with their own stories:

“This man was on the orange line to Jackson around 5 something today playing with his rat. I saw him take the rat out from under his shirt and holding up it to his face and kiss it. He did that multiple times. Then he got on the 22 bus. The driver had to call the transit police.”

Others chimed in with sympathy:

“If the rat is a emotional support animal can’t discriminate against them. All the unattended rats running around in the city and folks are bothered by the one that has an owner?”

As in many large cities along the East Coast, rats are a hot-button issue within Boston. City leaders recently “declared war” on the growing rat population as citizens have reported sightings of rats up to 10 inches long knawing through transmission harnesses and trash bins.

At the very least, we hope that Jerry the Rat is safe and sound in the custody of animal control.

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Pedro Wolfe

Pedro Wolfe is the managing editor of Tequila Raiders. With several years of experience writing for the New York Daily News and the Foothills Business Daily under his belt, Pedro aims to combine quality reviews and recipes with incisive articles on the cutting edge of the tequila world. Pedro has traveled to the heartland of the spirits industry in Tequila, Mexico, and has conducted interviews with agave spirits veterans throughout Mexico, South Africa and California. Through this diverse approach, Tequila Raiders aims to celebrate not only tequila but the rich tapestry of agave spirits that spans mezcal, raicilla, bacanora, pulque and so much more.

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