A New York teen is facing 30 criminal charges for allegedly driving a stolen SUV into a home earlier this month, resulting in a massive gas explosion that displaced multiple residents and sent first responders ducking for cover.
The residence in Oneida was decimated by the early-morning Sept. 9 blast, which sent towers of orange flames and ash into the sky and reduced the emergency crews at the scene to flailing rag dolls as they struggled to take cover, body camera footage obtained by NewsChannel 9 shows.
Several officers were forced to cower behind a firetruck “while debris fell from the sky,” Sgt. Michael Burgess said at a press conference a few hours after the incident.
There were no reported injuries, as residents were luckily evacuated from both the destroyed house and five surrounding homes before the explosion, city officials said at the presser.
The blast occurred around 6 a.m., a little less than three hours after the unnamed 17-year-old suspect is believed to have crashed the stolen vehicle into the home, they continued.
The force of the car crash severed the house’s natural gas line, which ultimately resulted in the massive inferno.
“A National Grid employee arrived and was using a meter to attempt to locate a turn-off. However, she could not find one. She had to request a separate crew come out and close off the gas. However they were coming from the City of Utica,” Burgess told NewsChannel9 of the frantic moments before the explosion.
“The [National Grid] response time definitely does concern me,” Oneida Fire Chief Scott Jones added.
In a statement to the outlet, National Grid said it was “cooperating” with the police and fire officials’ inquiries.
“National Grid is working with local fire and police officials as they investigate the events surrounding the alleged criminal acts that involved the theft of an automobile, and related accident that resulted in the destruction and damage homes on Elm Street in Oneida, NY,” the gas company said in an additional statement.
“Preliminary assessments indicate the vehicle directly struck National Grid facilities with such severe force that it severed the gas service, requiring the Company personnel who were on scene to call in additional crews and equipment to stop the flow of gas caused by the extraordinary vehicle impact.”
In addition to the home that exploded, five other houses in the neighborhood were condemned by the city, the outlet said.
Several residents were subsequently displaced, and received aid from the American Red Cross, Fox News reported.
The teen driver was arrested and officially charged on Thursday with a whopping 30 criminal counts, including one instance each of third-degree grand larceny, driving while intoxicated, and third-degree criminal possession, the Oneida City Police Department said in a press release.
The juvenile was arraigned at Madison County Court’s “Youth Part,” and was released to an adult with “specific guidelines in place,” the department added.
“We understand that this arrest does not bring back all that has been lost, and we remain dedicated to helping and supporting those who have been impacted the best that we can,” the statement concluded.