Driver arrested in San Jose hit-and-run crash involving at least 6 vehicles

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ByMatt Keller KGO logo
Thursday, June 28, 2018
Driver arrested in SJ hit-and-run crash involving at least 6 vehicles
A driver was arrested and two people were hurt in a hit-and-run chain reaction crash involving at least six vehicles overnight in San Jose.

SAN JOSE, Calif. (KGO) -- Imagine waking up to find your parked car wrecked and sitting in your front lawn. That was the reality for some people in San Jose along Vine Street as police closed off the road for four hours.

Two people got hurt and one arrested in a chain reaction crash involving at least six vehicles.

Firefighters, police and paramedics were on the scene of the crash on Vine Street at Edwards Avenue near downtown San Jose just before 1 a.m.

The driver of a black Lexus had to be cut out of his car and was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

Police say the driver of a truck was responsible for the chain reaction crash. He and two passengers jumped out and ran off. Eventually, police captured the driver and one passenger.

The passenger went to the hospital for non-life-threatening injuries. The driver went to jail, charged with hit and run.

In the end, at least six vehicles were damaged, including four parked cars.

"It was pretty bad and very irresponsible. Plus they ran, so that didn't make it OK," said victim Isaac Andrade.

When the sun came up, Andrade got a good look at his car, a 2015 Dodge Challenger. "I'm pretty sure it's totaled, according to the tow truck driver," he said.

Several people are dealing with the mess left behind.

Bryan Bravo woke up when he heard the crash. "I thought I was dreaming still," he said.

The gate and fence in his front yard and his neighbor's yard were wiped out by the truck. His mom's car parked across the street were also hit.

The hope is insurance will pay for it all, but finding out the driver tried to run away is still frustrating.

"If you're going to do something like that, you might as well stay, face the consequences, not actually leave. Man up to it, you know, but I mean it is what it is," said Bravo. "Sometimes people don't think."

Police say it does not appear that drugs or alcohol were a factor in this crash.