A Florida man allegedly bailed from a stolen vehicle after it got stuck on railroad tracks moments before an oncoming train sent the car flying into a nearby home Saturday, according to police.
Bradford Weitzel, 38, told detectives in Martin County, Florida, that he stole a car in “good faith” as a means of discovering the location of his own vehicle, according a Facebook post from the Martin County Sheriff’s Office. He said he had been unable to locate his own car after leaving a local bar early in the morning, the police said.
Weitzel said he drove the stolen car until the vehicle “suddenly stopped” on train tracks near Indian River Drive, according to the sheriff’s office. When he spotted a train heading towards him and the car, Weitzel said he fled from the vehicle. (RELATED: Robberies, Assaults And Carjackings Are Plaguing One Of Seattle’s Largest Neighborhoods)
The impact of the train into the stolen vehicle sent it flying into a nearby house where the homeowners were asleep, according to the sheriff’s office. No one was injured during the incident, but police noted that the “explosive sound of a driverless car smashing into the side of their home was clearly jolting.”
Meanwhile, Weitzel went to a fruit stand located nearby, which the sheriff’s office said he vandalized before trying to steal a forklift. Weitzel then flagged down responding officers to inform them that he was having trouble finding his own car.
Weitzel was arrested and now faces charges of grand theft and criminal mischief, according to police. The Martin County Sheriff’s office also noted that “additional charges are expected.”