MARTIN COUNTY, Fla. — A Port St. Lucie man was arrested after he abandoned a stolen car on railroad tracks, and the train launched the car into a house.
Bradford Weitzel, 38, told Martin County Sheriff's Office detectives that he couldn't find his car after leaving a Martin County bar early Saturday, so he stole one "in a good faith effort to find his own."
Weitzel told deputies he somehow ended up on the train tracks along Indian River Drive and claimed the stolen vehicle suddenly stopped dead on the tracks.
Weitzel got out of the vehicle and ran.
The approaching train hit the car, catapulting it into a nearby home.
The homeowners were asleep when the car smashed into their home. They were not injured.
Weitzel continued to a nearby fruit stand, where he vandalized the business and attempted to steal a forklift.
Weitzel told deputies he thought it was best to flag them down to let them know he was still looking for his car.
He was arrested on charges of grand theft and criminal mischief. Additional charges are expected.
