A Catholic Charities Meals on Wheels delivery truck was stolen -- and then involved in a wild crash in Queens Wednesday, taking out a mailbox before somehow completely flipping upside-down in front of a house, an official says.
Chopper 4 showed a wild scene on 119th Avenue, between 191st and 192nd streets, after the accident around 11:30 a.m. Fire officials said two vehicles were involved in the crash, but the second vehicle wasn't visible from the air -- at least not initially. Later, a blue sedan was seen pulled over on the side of the street, a large bush sitting on top of it.
The program director at Catholic Charities says one of her drivers was making a delivery to an apartment building not too far away. When the driver came back, the truck was gone. The group reported it stolen. Next thing they knew, it turned up in the front lawn crash.
A witness who lives across the street from the crash site tells News 4 three teenagers were in the stolen truck and that she saw two boys and a girl get out of it after the crash. The girl seemed in a daze and sat down on the witness' front stoop afterward; her hand was bleeding. The boys ran off. The girl was taken into police custody shortly after officers arrived at the scene.
The man who had been driving the blue sedan that was hit by the out-of-control truck didn't appear to be badly injured, the witness said.
The charity group driver was not hurt in the theft, the program director said. She said the heist was a shame, saying now the group won't be able to get as many meals to as many people in need in the community.
"Catholic Charities Brooklyn and Queens replaced and delivered the meals to the remaining homebound seniors listed on the route; all of our homebound seniors along this route were fed today," read in part a statement from Catholic Charities Brooklyn and Queens. "Our thoughts and prayers are with the injured in this unfortunate incident."
