Driver Crashes Stolen Truck Into Business, Home Then Steals Plow Truck
ANDOVER (CBS) - It was the morning crash at Jimmy's Garage in Wilmington that set off the alarms.
Police say a white stolen pickup truck slammed through the front window around 5 a.m., all caught on surveillance video.
The driver is seen jumping out amid the debris and appearing to grab only cigarettes after considerable effort to get inside.
"It's pretty sickening for a couple packs of cigarettes," said owner Jimmy Katsikis. "He must be on something because I'm not sure what would cause him to be that desperate."
The suspect left plenty of cleanup, considerable damage, and a surveillance image police hope will help the investigation.
Police are now seeking the public's help in finding the suspect, who is also wanted in connection with a burglary in Tewksbury and another crash in Andover. Police described the suspect as a white male with average height and wearing a hooded-style jacket and blue jeans.
WATCH: Surveillance video of Wilmington crash
After Wilmington, the suspect then moved onto a service station in Tewksbury in a smash-and-grab before crashing into a home on School Street in Andover about 5:45 a.m., police said.
"I heard a big bang and I felt the house jolt," said homeowner Ellen George.
She looked out to see the driver squirm through the passenger window and she offered to call 911.
"I said, 'Why don't you come into the house, it's warmer in there,' but he didn't respond to that," she said.
Instead, she said he took off on foot and had no idea he was the subject of a now multiple-town manhunt.
Police say the suspect ran to a nearby convenience store and stole a plow truck as the owner was shoveling a nearby driveway.
That truck has been located in Boston's South End but the suspect was nowhere to be found.
About 8:10 a.m. Thursday, Boston Police attempted to stop the driver of the stolen white plow truck, but he drove away, evading authorities.
Back at Jimmy's Garage, they're assessing the damage.
"A desperate kid, who knows what he was doing or what would cause him to do that," Katsikis said.
Police say it all started with a stolen pickup truck from Brockton and they are trying to determine why he would travel such a distance to carry out the crime spree.
Anyone with information is asked to call Andover police at 978-475-0411 or Wilmington police at 978-658-5071.