Hit-and-run driver plows into San Jose home, sparks serious gas-line fire

By Mary Mitchell

Published on June 14, 2006

On the afternoon of June 13, 2006, the Santa Clara County Auto Theft Task Force attempted to stop the driver of a stolen Cadillac in a residential neighborhood of East San Jose by boxing in the car with two unmarked police cars. The driver and his passenger drove through the two cars and later failed to make a turn, driving straight into the closed garage of a house about 1-1/2 miles away. The crash sheared off the gas line's valve, and a fire began that could not be extinguished until the local utility company arrived to fix the gas line. The house was for sale and was not occupied.

Only the passenger was caught by the police. The driver's name is known to the police, and based on the damage to the car's steering wheel and windshield, fire officials said that the driver probably has chest and face injuries.

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