MTA police vehicle crashes through fence, flips into Staten Island homeowner's backyard

NEW YORK -- There was a scene of destruction in a Staten Island homeowner's backyard Friday after an MTA Bridges and Tunnels police vehicle crashed through a fence and overturned.

It happened at a home in the Grasmere neighborhood around 1:15 p.m.

Like a scene from a movie, debris still covered two backyards hours after the single-car crash that left the TBTA vehicle flipped over in the corner.

"Thank you God that nobody here," homeowner Miriam Montoya said.

Her backyard was covered with parts of the obliterated fence, pieces of a power pole and crushed glass and metal.

At 1:07 p.m., home security video shows cars driving on Narrows Road North, then you see another vehicle speed by and seconds later, the utility wires start swaying. It was around this time, out of camera view, authorities say that officer had careened off the roadway, hit a utility pole then barreled through a fence before flipping over.

Police sources say the officer was pursuing someone when the accident happened.

Montoya said she was taking a nap.

"I say what happened? I came out, and I see the guy, the car coming like that," Montoya said.

Neighbor Tim Revithas said he saw the TBTA car seconds before the crash hit a low section of the roadway.

"When you go over a dip that fast, it's just gonna happen. It seemed like he caught traction, but then when it went behind the house, couldn't see it anymore. I heard tires skidding followed by like a loud boom," Revithas said. "He flew in from an angle, completely knocked down the whole fence. Toolshed gone."

Revithas said he ran to the backyard and found the officer injured having just climbed out of the flipped car.

"By the time I got to the back, he was already outside," Revithas said. "He was like crouching, like on his knees ... So me and another guy, we just helped him, brought him to the front in case the car blew up."

Video shows Revithas and another passerby carrying the injured but conscious officer down the driveway to the curb, where a fire truck soon arrived.

First responders and Con Ed crews descended on the service road off the Staten Island Expressway, a spot known for speeding that CBS2 has covered before.

"Actually, to tell you the truth, I'm not surprised that this happened again," neighbor Jennifer Moreno told CBS2's Andrea Grymes.

Moreno spoke to CBS2 on Friday and back in 2019 when video captured another wild crash. 

That time, a speeding driver lost control, hitting a small tree and two cars before taking off. Luckily, no one was killed then or now.

"I'm glad there wasn't any loss of life. That's one of my main concerns, again, someone could've been walking," Moreno said.

The officer is expected to survive.

In:
• Staten Island