A high-speed crash in Philadelphia’s Society Hill neighborhood early Sunday morning was caught on home surveillance and dash cams and showed the driver speeding down the streets before crashing into another vehicle.
Neighbors say they woke up around 1 a.m. to the sound of an SUV driving down Spruce Street. “This sound – a bomb,” said resident Richard Herskovitz, whose camera captured the incident.
According to Herskovitz, the driver drove past his home at an alarming speed. “He spun around and passed me about 50 miles an hour sideways,” he said.
Joshua Grossman was driving an Uber near 5th and Spruce Streets when the SUV plowed through.
“Before I even know what’s going on, this guy just speeds by in the bike lane and runs the light, doesn’t brake at all until the light,” Grossman said.
His Uber dashboard camera captured the moment an SUV collided with a privileged sedan.
“It was crazy to see. Everything happened so fast — we were screaming,” Grossman said.
The crash left behind damaged cars, tire tracks and a dented tree.
“If you look at the tree on this side, see where it’s dented — so it bounced off of it and into the cars on the other side,” Herskovitz added.
Philadelphia police identified the driver as 43-year-old Terrence Williams, who they say fled a traffic stop just a block away on South Front Street.
Williams is now charged with fleeing an officer and had several outstanding warrants for his arrest.
According to residents, careless driving is a constant concern.
“People are always driving like crazy and doing things like that, but nothing happens to them. There are no consequences,” said Lisa Golan, who lives nearby.
Bicyclist and safety advocate Joe Piscitello said the community is calling for stronger measures to prevent accidents. It’s the effort of many organizations, including 5th Square, Philly Bike Action, Bicycle Coalition, PA Safe Roads PAC and Bike League DC.
“We’ve been advocating that if we slow down traffic and keep people off the bike lanes, there’s less chance of people getting hurt,” he said.
No serious injuries were reported. The police continue to investigate the accident.