Caught on camera: Hit-and-run driver damages Phoenix home, other property

PHOENIX (AZFamily) — A Valley woman is searching for answers after a surveillance camera caught a hit-and-run driver crashing into the yard of her Phoenix home and leaving serious damage behind.

The collision happened around 11:30 p.m. Saturday in a neighborhood near 16th Street and Broadway Road. Shocking video shows a car crashing into a yard and causing significant damage.

The driver fled, and now the woman who lives at the home is hoping that person is found and will face charges.

“I’m pretty strong. I’m a damn strong person,” Homeowner Sylvia Fuentes said. “But you know what they say, even rocks crack. This cracked me,” said Fuentes.

Fuentes tells Arizona’s Family that she heard a loud noise the night before and looked out the window, but she wasn’t wearing her glasses and simply thought someone might be having car trouble near her driveway. She didn’t know what really happened until a few hours later when she got up to take her dog outside.

She pointed out what was left behind, including a mangled fence and two damaged vehicles. One of those vehicles was pushed into the part of her home that she uses for an office, damaging the walls and roof.

The video from Fuentes’ Ring security camera captures the moment that the car hit the property, and then the picture abruptly freezes. Fuentes says that’s because the collision knocked out power to part of her home, including the security camera.

Videos captured by others in the area shortly after the crash show what appears to be an orange-colored car smoking in the driveway. You can see someone opening the driver’s side door.

Fuentes called Phoenix police Sunday morning and made a report. Now, she’s hoping the person responsible comes forward and is held accountable.

“I’m just tired ... I’m tired. And then for this to happen, my God. I pay everything that I’m supposed to, I do what I’m supposed to do,” Fuentes said. “Why couldn’t they do that? Say, you know what? I did this, I’m going to take responsibility. I’m not asking anyone for anything, I’m just saying take responsibility for what you did.”

Fuentes says she’s battling cancer and already works two jobs just to pay the existing bills. Family members have set up a GoFundMe account to help her rebuild. Tap/click here if you would like to make a donation.

Phoenix police tell Arizona’s Family they responded to the area early Sunday morning and have forwarded a report on this case to detectives for follow up.

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