Police say an intoxicated German man who ducked out of a train for a cigarette during a short stop got into trouble when he tried to jump back on board between two cars after the train departed without him.
Police said Thursday the 33-year-old clung on to the coupling during frigid temperatures, screaming as the train headed toward Hamburg late Wednesday at speeds of up to 200 kilometers per hour (125 mph).
Passengers heard the man’s cries and were able to trigger an emergency stop, allowing him to be brought inside.
Authorities say he was handed over to them at the main station in Essen and was “unmistakably informed by the federal police about the mortal danger he had been in.”
He’s under investigation for dangerous interference with rail traffic.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.