SEPTA bus careened into bank during chain-reaction crash started by a stolen Hyundai, police say
The collision began after a Hyundai vehicle crashed into a mini-van, which sent the SEPTA bus through the front of a PNC bank branch while three passengers were inside.
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An in-service SEPTA bus careened into a bank during a chain-reaction crash in Lawndale that police say was caused by a stolen Hyundai vehicle.
The accident happened at the intersection of Rising Sun Avenue, Martins Mill Road, and Unruh Avenue just after 1:30 a.m. Thursday, when a stolen Hyundai crashed into a Toyota minivan. In turn, the minivan crashed into a SEPTA bus with three passengers inside, per police, sending it through the front of a PNC Bank branch.
On Thursday, police said the Hyundai was stolen on April 20 around 1:20 a.m. from the 2200 block of Glenview Street in the Castor section of Northeast Philadelphia. The Hyundai may have then been involved in a series of robberies in the Northeast, police said.
The driver of the stolen car — a male in his late-teens or early twenties, per 6ABC — fled the scene of the multi-vehicle crash in a Volkswagen that had been following the Hyundai.
An 18-year-old man who was a passenger in the stolen Hyundai was taken to Einstein Medical Center, where he remained hospitalized on Thursday in critical condition with head injuries, police said.
The 31-year-old driver of the minivan was trapped inside. While the driver was waiting for the fire department to remove the driver’s side door to free him, police say money was stolen from the vehicle.
“Our real-time crime cameras caught someone getting in that vehicle and taking something and fleeing the scene,” Chief Inspector Scott Small told reporters. “We believe a large amount of cash may have been taken from the minivan.”
The minivan driver, whom police referred to as a small business owner, is in stable condition.
The three passengers inside the SEPTA bus at the time of the crash simply got off and left. “They didn’t even stick around as witnesses,” Small told reporters.
The SEPTA driver, a 61-year-old-man, is in stable condition after suffering injuries to the face and head, per NBC10.
Ultimately, the crash damaged PECO lines, forcing power crews to cut electricity to the PNC bank building, which was left with a shattered window and a hole in the wall. Licensing and Inspections agency inspectors called to the scene determined the bank remained structurally sound and was not in threat of collapse.
Small told reporters that police were in search of the Hyundai driver and the person who stole money from minivan, who they believe to be male.
Kia and Hyundai vehicles saw respective 400% and 700% increases in thefts in Philadelphia during 2022, thanks in part to a viral TikTok challenge that teaches views how to steal the cars with just a screwdriver and a USB cord. Called the Kia Boyz Challenge, the Milwaukee-based trend has resulted in at least 14 crashes and eight deaths nationwide, per data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Both car manufacturers have released a joint customer satisfaction campaign, which includes a recommended anti-theft software update and a steering wheel lock distribution program for local law enforcement agencies.
To date, Philadelphia police are the only participating law enforcement agency out of more than 700 nationwide to end participation in the wheel lock program, claiming they did so out of liability concerns.