Residents on a normally quiet south London street got a rude awakening early Friday morning when a pickup truck crashed into the front of a townhouse and flipped on top of a parked vehicle.
It was around 3 a.m. when Danielle, who asked that her last name not be published, was awakened by the sound of tires screeching around the bend on Jalna Boulevard, near Sholto Drive.
"I heard the recycle bins get smashed and saw the headlights of the truck as it was coming toward the house. My bedroom is right above the front entrance. Next thing you know it shook the whole house, it smashed right into the front of the house," said Danielle. "It was the loudest crash I have ever heard."
By the time she and her roommate made it outside, the occupants of the vehicle had run from the scene.
A red pickup truck sits overturned at 18 Jalna Boulevard, February 21, 2020.
In addition to the extensive damage to the townhouse, three parked vehicles were also damaged in the crash. They have been towed from the scene.
According to police, the truck was involved in a previous collision 15 minutes earlier in a parking lot in the area of Southdale Road East and Dundalk Drive. The vehicle fled the scene and was located by police in the area of Southdale Road East and Adelaide Street South.
While officers were attempting to stop the vehicle, the driver reversed into the police car twice, resulting in minor injuries to two officers and $4,000 in damage to the police cruiser.
A few minutes later, police responded to reports that the vehicle had crashed into the townhouse.
Danielle, who has lived at 18 Jalna for only a year, said the collision could have had a much more tragic ending.
"If that truck had taken any different type of trajectory it easily could have went through the front door, front window or even my bedroom window. We are very lucky no one was hurt," said Danielle.
She added the crash is a reminder of the need for drivers to slow down when passing through residential areas.
"There are lots of families, lots of kids. Just people trying to live their lives in a quiet residential area. But people drive through way too fast... There needs to be speed deterrence or something like that," said Danielle.
The three men who fled the scene were eventually located and arrested. The driver suffered minor injuries.
Through the course of the investigation, the truck was determined to be stolen and the total damage is estimated at around $92,000.
The investigation remains ongoing and anyone with information is asked to call police at 519-661-5670 or contact Crime Stoppers anonymously.