This happened in 1966 on the Napa Vallejo(CA) SP branch. A 15 year old juvenile railfan in the wee hours of the morning commandeered a tied down diesel in the Napa Junction Lombard yard. With no headlight on he was observed traveling south on the Vallejo Branch by the PD running through town with the just the crossings being activated but no horn or headlight. For reasons unknown he stopped the engine at the Florida st crossing and fled. This made front page news in the Vallejo CA paper with a picture of the engine abandoned at the crossing. He was apprehended. SP did not press charges, instead they told the juvenile that if he could stay out of trouble for the next three years when he became legal age they would hire him on the spot for train and engine service.