PORT ST. LUCIE (CBSMiami/AP) — A Florida man accused of stealing a car was able to jump from it moments before it was hit by a train, which sent it flying into a nearby house.
Those inside the home were not hurt and the man was later arrested.
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Police said the man claimed he stole the car in a “good faith effort” to search for his own vehicle after leaving a bar early Saturday in Martin County. Instead, he got stuck on the railroad tracks in the path of an oncoming train.
After the crash, the man tried to steal a forklift from a nearby fruit stand, which he also vandalized, the Martin County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.
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He was arrested after flagging down responding deputies “to let them know he was still looking for his car,” the statement said.
The homeowners were fine, but “the explosive sound of a driverless car smashing into the side of their home was clearly jolting,” the sheriff’s office said.
The 38-year-old faces charges of grand theft and criminal mischief, and additional charges are expected.
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