'A big huge bang!' Neighbours recall moment pickup hit London home

Pickup crashes into home in northeast London From CTV's Sean Irvine - Surveillance video shows the moments before a pickup smashed into a home on Elliott Street.

London, Ont. — Police are investigating after a pickup truck crashed into a home on Elliot Street early Monday morning.

Margaux Ingles says she knew right away a vehicle had hit her neighbour's northeast London home.

It was shortly after 2:30 Monday morning.

“There was glass smashing, a big huge bang. I could see him coming down the road, maybe 120 (km/h), and just veered into the house."

Security camera footage obtained by CTV News caught the moments before the crash.

The video shows a vehicle moving quickly down St. James Street towards Elliott, with headlights visible.

Seconds later brakes are briefly heard, followed by glass breaking and a bang.

Thankfully, it was quickly determined no one was inside the home.

London police and neighbours say one occupant in the vehicle fled the scene.

Police have not yet released other details.

Hubert Van Niekerk has owned the home for 17 years.

Hubert Van Niekerk rents out a home on Elliott Street in London, Ont., that was stuck by a pickup truck on Monday, Oct. 19, 2020. (Sean Irvine / CTV News)

He rents it out, and says the two current occupants were not home when the pickup truck came through the front window.

“It could have been a lot worse. So, I’m just thankful that it’s just block and paint. So, we will fix that up, and that can all be repaired and all will be fine."

Though repairable, the damage is significant, with broken cement block all along the northwest side of the foundation.

It was quite a sight for neighbour Rob Blair. He lives right across the street, but unlike most, he did not hear the collision.

“I didn’t hear a single thing. I even backed out of my driveway this morning, and I didn’t even see it."

But Blair points out it’s not the first time a home or property has been hit by vehicles at the T-intersection of Elliott and St. James streets.

Back at the Ingles home, CTV News discovered she knows that all too well. Fifteen years ago, her home was hit, by an out-of-control car.

“It came right down my driveway into my backyard and hit my house."

And for Ingles that memory, coupled with the 2019 Woodman Avenue explosion in the city's Old East neighbourhood, not far away, made her fearful for her safety in the moments after Monday’s crash.

“I collected my dogs, and put leashes on them and we to the front door, in case we had to get out of our house.”

Thankfully, in this case, the gas meter was not at the front of the home struck by the pickup.

Police say the licence plates on the pickup were stolen, but so far no charges have been laid and no injuries have been reported.