Driver told police he "blacked out" before crashing into Bel Air home, causing explosion
BALTIMORE -- A man turned himself in early Thursday morning and now faces multiple traffic violations after crashing into a home in Bel Air Wednesday night, hitting a gas line and causing a fire and explosion.
The Harford County Sheriff's Office identified the driver as 27-year-old Joseph Pollard who lives on Woodhome Drive, several houses away from where the crash happened. He told officers he blacked out before crashing into the home.
Police said he initially fled the scene and turned himself in more than seven hours later at 3:30 a.m. at a police precinct.
The home has extensive damage, and the homeowner's beloved pets died.
Video shows van veering toward home
Pollard was in a marked, locksmith work van, and video WJZ Investigator Mike Hellgren obtained shows the van as it veers off Woodhome Drive and into the house.
That video cuts off just before the impact.
Video from the Bel Air Volunteer Fire Company captured moments later shows the flames surrounding the work van and raging through the home.
Driver "blacked out"
Harford County deputies said the driver told them he blacked out before driving off the road and into the house.
"He reported that he blacked out. We are still doing some investigation on it, but that remains to be seen at this point," Major Eric Gonzalez of the Harford County Sheriff's Office told Hellgren. "When you crash your vehicle, you should remain and try to render aid and do the common-sense thing — the thing that most people that have humanity would do — and stick around and render aid because we don't know that he knew that nobody was in the house."
Gonzalez also spoke about the search for Pollard.
"We got information from witnesses that the driver had fled the scene, so we immediately deployed our drone team along with deputies in the area on foot and canine and everything to try to search for the suspect," Major Gonzalez said.
The charges
Pollard is facing five traffic charges according to online court records:
- Failure to provide insurance information
- Failure to obey traffic control devices
- Failure to control speed
- Reckless driving
- Negligent driving
Court records show he faces up to $1,180 in fines.
Police said he was alone at the time but with someone else earlier in the evening. They declined to reveal more about his earlier location.
Community in shock
Representatives of the homeowner told WJZ she was too shaken to talk and has lived here for decades. Her two beloved dogs died in the fire and explosion.
WJZ spoke to her uncle outside the home. The homeowner was not injured.
"I just heard a bunch of sirens. It was multiple fire trucks," said neighbor Dylan Tribull. "I'm a dog person and that really hits home."
Several other neighbors expressed their shock at the tragedy in this otherwise quiet neighborhood and support for the homeowner.
Driver's employer reacts
Town Group, the company Pollard works for, told WJZ in a statement, "Words can't express how sad we are for the family affected. We know this has unexpectedly disrupted their lives in immeasurable ways. As a family-owned business in this community for over 27 years, we've always cared deeply about our neighbors, and an incident like this has truly shaken us. We've never experienced anything like this and are doing everything we can to support everyone involved."
They also said the driver had to be hospitalized but did not elaborate.
Fire Marshal's report
According to the state fire marshal, 35 firefighters responded. They determined the incident was accidental. Here is their preliminary report.
Other homes had to be evacuated, but only one other neighbor's house was damaged.
