GILROY
– City police are still searching for the person who drove an
Oldsmobile sedan off east Luchessa Avenue into a set of power pole
support cables on Aug. 3.
GILROY – City police are still searching for the person who drove an Oldsmobile sedan off east Luchessa Avenue into a set of power pole support cables on Aug. 3.
The crash led to a fire at a nearby shipping yard and caused a power outage throughout much of the south side of the city. The driver fled the scene, leaving the vehicle beside the leaning power pole and wrecked telephone box.
As of Tuesday morning, police had still not succeeded in contacting the car’s registered owner.
Officers have gone to the listed address and sent a letter, to no avail, according to Sgt. Kurt Svardal.
Police have no witnesses, Svardal said.
The blaze engulfed stacked piles of bound cardboard boxes and wooden pallets as well as a semi truck trailer.
Verizon and Pacific Gas & Electric officials have speculated that when the car hit the support cables, the power pole moved enough for two of the aerial electric lines to dip and touch a metal light pole. This short-circuitedº the system and showered sparks onto a row of juniper bushes, which quickly ignited and spread the flames to the nearby cardboard.
