Driver accused of taking car without consent charged after fiery crash

A vehicle is destroyed by fire on Muskoka Road 118 in Muskoka Lakes Township, Ont., on Mon., Sept. 16, 2024. (Source: OPP)

A 21-year-old man accused of taking a vehicle without permission, crashing, and leaving the scene faces multiple charges.

Provincial police with the Bracebridge detachment say witnesses reported seeing a vehicle leave the road, slam into a rock cut and burst into flames.

The incident happened along Muskoka Road 118 in Muskoka Lakes Township, just east of Scarcliffe Road, around 2:30 a.m. on Monday.

Police say when officers arrived, the vehicle had been abandoned.

They say the driver was identified as a Port Carling resident and charged with taking a vehicle without consent, obstructing a peace officer, failing to remain at the scene, and driving a vehicle without plates.

The car was destroyed in the fire.