At approximately 6:34 AM on May 26, 2021, Samuel James Cassidy — a 57-year-old substation maintainer who had worked for the Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) for approximately 20 years — opened fire on coworkers at the Guadalupe Division light rail operations and maintenance yard in San Jose, California. The attack occurred during a morning shift change.
Cassidy used three semiautomatic handguns. He killed nine VTA employees before shooting himself as law enforcement arrived at the scene. The nine victims were: Paul Megia, 42; Taptejdeep Singh, 36; Adrian Balleza, 29; Jose Dejesus Hernandez III, 35; Lars Lane, 63; Timothy Romo, 49; Alex Ward Fritch, 49; Abdolvahab Alaghmandan, 63; and Michael Joseph Rudometkin, 40.
Investigators established that Cassidy had set fires inside his home in Gilroy, California — approximately 25 miles south of San Jose — before driving to the yard. A large quantity of ammunition was found at the burning Gilroy property. A diary recovered from the home documented years of grievances directed at coworkers and supervisors at VTA. Cassidy had also traveled internationally in years prior to the attack, including to the Philippines; investigators found no connection to any broader motive or organization. No restraining orders or formal documented threats against coworkers appeared in his record.