MARLBORO, MASS. (WHDH) - A homeowner in Marlboro said she and her pet cat are doing OK after a driver crashed into her home Tuesday night, ripping part of her kitchen off of its foundation in the process.
Janice Downey told 7NEWS she was watching television around 8:45 p.m. when she heard the sound of part of her house being torn apart and thrown into her neighbor’s hard.
“I thought something exploded,” Downey said on Wednesday, sitting outside with two friends as she waited for crews to arrive and board up the giant opening left behind in her home.
“There was a sound like an explosion and I went out and saw a big, gaping hole in my house,” she recounted with a laugh.
Marlboro police said they responded Tuesday night to a reported crash on Ash Street, where a car had plowed into the kitchen area of Downey’s home, through the backyard’s wooden fence, and into a stone wall at 11 Cusella Drive.
“Must have hit the side of the house and took out a section of the kitchen,” said Rich Anzalone, who was in his living room at the time of the crash and added this isn’t the first time the house has been hit by a vehicle.
“A big screech, it was like a freight train is what it sounded like,” he said.
Police said that the man behind the wheel experienced a medical emergency related to his diabetes, and that he was taken to a hospital for treatment following the crash.
The driver, 51-year-old Elcid Silva, was charged with operating to endanger and speeding, and for a marked lane violation. The department noted that he was not taken into custody and would be arraigned at a later date.
For Janice, who’s refrigerator was dragged into the neighboring yard, she told 7NEWS that she was happy to rebuild, but as of Wednesday, was just looking to rest.
“I’m just waiting for them to come and board it up so I can get settled some place because I don’t have all day – I’d like to get some sleep,” Downey said.
(Copyright (c) 2026 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)