Crews were left to clean up after a stolen car struck a brick monument sign in Kitchener’s Doon South neighbourhood. The collision happened around 5:55 a.m. Wednesday at the entrance to 74 Autumn Ridge Trail. Security video from a nearby home showed two fast-moving cars rounding the curve. The one in front then jumped the curb and disappeared from view, but debris could be seen on both the lawn and street. Photos posted to social media showed a white car on its side amid a large pile of bricks, right where the monument sign should be. “It kind of shocked me because I was thinking, how can a car end up upside down and then be into a brick wall at the same time?” neighbour Vandaud Tavassoli wondered. “That was a pretty big impact into that wall,” said Steve MacGregor, another neighbour. Waterloo Regional Police said the driver took off before officers arrived on scene. The security video showed the driver of the second vehicle get out, moments after the crash, and go over the vehicle. As neighbours gathered around the scene, several people could be seen getting into the second vehicle and driving off. “It was a bit of a confusing scene,” MacGregor said. “But, apparently, whoever was in the car managed to get out.” It’s not known if anyone was hurt. “Due to the nature and severity of the collision, police have concerns for the safety and wellbeing of the vehicle occupants and are seeking to confirm their welfare,” police said. They also confirmed the car had been reported stolen. Christine Michaud, the city councillor for Doon South, called it a deeply concerning incident. “It’s an absolutely frightening situation and happening in such a beautiful, quiet residential neighbourhood,” she said. “With the car being so damaged, it doesn’t even look like someone could have survived that, let alone leave the scene.” Due to the area’s proximity to Highway 401, Michaud said residents have expressed concerns about similar incidents. Anyone with information or video of the moments leading up to or after the crash are asked to contact investigators at 519-570-9777, extension 8255 or the region’s Break and Enter, Auto Theft and Robbery (BEAR) unit at extension 8434. With reporting from Heather Senoran
