PHOTO BY MARK LORENZ
A mangled Honda that was hit by a commuter rail around 10:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 16 now sits in two pieces at G/J Towing Inc., in Revere.
By THOMAS GRILLO
REVERE —The driver of a Honda that collided with a train on Wednesday night has surrendered to the MBTA Transit Police.
The commuter rail train struck the car at the Oak Island commuter rail crossing off North Shore Road at about 10:30 p.m.
BELOW: Recording of the Wednesday night 911 call (provided by the Revere Police Department)
Video images obtained by news sources showed two people exited the front half of the car after it was severed in two and fled the scene.
Richard Sullivan, a T police spokesman, declined to name the suspect. “He was involved in an accident prior and fled … ended up in the vicinity of Oak Island Railroad crossing and attempted to drive around gates. Both occupants fled the vehicle. There were no injuries. Charges are forthcoming,” Sullivan said in an email.
Police said the suspect was involved in a minor fender bender earlier that night and fled the scene. Moments later, he drove around the crossing gates at Oak Island Road when a commuter train going 65 miles an hour sped through the crossing, tearing the vehicle in half.
Police said there were about 200 passengers on the train. No one was injured. The train was removed from service and passengers were put on another train. Authorities spent several hours overnight seeking the driver.
ALSO: Police log: 11-17-2016
Jenny Reynolds,who lives near the crossing, said she heard the crash as her family was about to drive to a nearby Chinese restaurant.
“We heard the thud and my immediate thought was something got hit by the train,” she said.
Her husband spoke to the man who was involved in the minor accident who told him he was looking for the suspect’s car to get insurance information.
“We walked over to the accident site and were terrified about what we might see, but no one in the car and air bags had deployed,” she said. “Fortunately, whoever was in the car, got safely out.”
Thomas Grillo can be reached at [email protected].