Driver crashes into home while being chased by New York State Police
NEWBURGH, N.Y. -- A family got a rude awaking when an SUV being pursued by police smashed into their home, causing a minor injury and doing major structural damage.
The day after an earthquake shook much of the Northeast, it looked like another one hit the house in Newburgh, New York.
"We were shook up early in the day and now closing the day, we're being shaken up again," said Matt Dembinsky, who used humor to help deal with the nightmare situation.
A car being chased by New York State Police crashed into his home of 22 years at 2 a.m. Saturday.
"This was nearly tragic. It was surreal seeing it," said Dembinsky. "An immense explosion is what it felt like ... It basically knocked me out of my bed."
He immediately thought of his twin daughters, local basketball stars Alex and Sam, because the SUV breached Alex's bedroom wall.
"Her wrist is a little banged up, so we had to get her checked out. It's not her shooting wrist though," said Dembinsky.
Police said the driver, 21-year-old Hector Balbuena, is facing multiple vehicle and traffic law charges. He allegedly fled from troopers during an attempted stop, which led to a brief pursuit before the crash.
Neighbors said it happened on a dangerous curve with a safe speed limit posted at 15 mph.
"One of our cars has been hit here in the past. And they hit my brother-in-law's truck and took the bed right off of it," said Mike Donahue.
"I thought the house was going to fall down on top of the rest of the house. It was scary," said Jennifer Donahue.
Dembinsky is waiting to hear back from town engineers and his insurance company.
State Police said the pursuit lasted less than a minute. Like all police pursuits, it will be reviewed to see if safety protocols were followed.
