Police Pursuit Ends With Car Crashing Into Edison, N.J. Home
EDISON. N.J. (CBSNewYork) -- There was chaos in the streets during a wild ride through parts of New Jersey on Friday. A woman led police on a chase, driving dangerously through a quiet community.
The driver lost control and slammed into a house, just barely missing the homeowner, CBS 2's Don Champion reported.
Inches from tragedy, neighbors on the block said it's a miracle no one was killed or hurt when the car crashed through the front of a home.
"It was just like a long skid and then I heard a boom," Aniyah Harris said.
The crash was so loud Harris said she heard it from her home down the street. If she thought the sound was something, the sight of what happened was even crazier, Champion reported.
"I was like what … like what … how did it skip the curb?" Harris said.
Investigators said the driver of the gold Toyota was being chased by a Metuchen Police officer when she crashed into the home.
The homeowner, who didn't want to be identified, said he was in his living room inches away from where the car stopped. He was shaken up by what happened, but offered up few words.
"I was doing something in my house and I came from that door," he said. "I couldn't control myself, but my heart was beating."
Police said an officer tried pulling over the driver, 22-year-old Megan Lafrano, in Metuchen for making an improper turn. Instead, they said Lafrano ignored lights and sirens and commands to pull over, eventually losing control of her car and crashing into the Edison home miles away.
Her excuse?
"Her only explanation was that she was scared and didn't know what to do," Sgt. David Liantonio said.
Investigators said Lafrano fought being arrested after the accident and even hit another car during the chase. Champion wanted to know if the officer was justified in chasing her in the first place.
"The pursuit didn't really go very quickly. It was a very slow pursuit, but she was violating laws in between, so you didn't know what was going on so it could've been a problem for other people on the road," Liantonio said.
"Thank God I'm okay," the homeowner said.
Glass littered the front yard Friday evening, but the family told Champion they were told the home is structurally okay. They said they plan on rebuilding immediately.
The driver was charged with several traffic violations. Investigators said they don't believe drugs or alcohol played a role in the accident.
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