SUV that crashed into Penn Hills business suspected to be stolen
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A driver crashed a suspected-stolen SUV into a Penn Hills business Sunday morning before fleeing and leaving behind a vehicle that caught fire.
Fire crews were called to Pittsburgh Specialty Cabinet near the intersection of Verona and Mt. Carmel roads shortly after 2 a.m., where they found a white Hyundai Palisade smashed against a cinder block wall.
Diane Fitzhenry, supervisor of Penn Hills EMS, said Monday it’s unclear if anyone was injured, since the scene was deserted when they arrived.
Surveillance footage shows the driver veering off Verona Road, briefly going airborne and colliding with the side of the building, according to William Jeffcoat, chief of Penn Hills Volunteer Fire Company No. 227.
For reasons unknown to Jeffcoat, the driver remained in the vehicle for a few minutes, then exited the vehicle and walked away.
“Maybe they were knocked out for a minute or two from the airbag deployment,” Jeffcoat said.
Several minutes later, the vehicle began to burn, prompting calls to 911.
Some smoke got into the building, but there was no fire damage inside.
Pittsburgh Specialty Cabinet declined to comment.
Penn Hills police Chief Ronald Como did not return requests for an investigation update.
Jeffcoat, however, said police relayed to him the vehicle was stolen from a rental company in Monroeville.