WAKEFIELD, MASS. (WHDH) - A rollover car crash — possibly a road rage incident — was captured on camera in Wakefield Wednesday, and neighbors said one of the drivers involved tried to run from the scene.
At around 1:01 p.m., emergency crews responded to the intersection of Salem Street and Chapman Road for a report of a two-car crash, according to Wakefield police and fire departments. Surveillance video shows two cars colliding while driving side by side down the road, and a white Toyota SUV is pushed off the road and into a fence.
The white SUV’s driver was taken to a local hospital for his injuries. A black Toyota Corolla was found nearby, and both cars had “significant damage,” police said.
Neighbor Victor Oliviera heard the crash and ran outside to see if everyone was alright. When the driver of the black car started to run, Oliviera took off after him.
“I chased him through a couple backyards, we hopped a couple fences, probably just four streets back,” Oliviera said.
Oliviera said the man eventually stopped running and waited until police arrived.
“As I was chasing him, I was just saying, ‘Why are you running? It’s not worth running from your problems. You can fix this.’ So, that was my big thing, and I think it got into his head,” Oliviera said.
The couple whose fence was broken from the crash said they’re grateful their children were at school and not playing in the backyard at the time.
“We feel fortunate and happy that nobody got hurt and the kids were safe,” Paul Pisani said. “Property fences can be fixed.”
“We’re thankful for Victor. He did a good job helping out sprinting into action, Catherine Pisani added.
Investigators determined both drivers were heading northbound on I-95 before exiting the highway and entering Wakefield, police said. The driver of the white SUV was seen crossing marked lanes into oncoming traffic, which resulted in the cash, according to police.
“The drivers may have been involved in some type of road rage incident that originated on the highway,” police said in a statement.
The driver of the white SUV, a 33-year-old man from Nashua, N.H., is being summonsed to court and charged with driving to endanger and marked lanes violation.
The driver of the black car, a 38-year-old Marblehead man, is being summonsed and charged with leaving the scene of property damage and operating with a suspended license.
Wakefield police are still investigating the crash.
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