Residents of Ricardo Street were jolted awake late Saturday night when a truck hit a hydro box, causing an outage in the surrounding area.
Niagara Regional Police said a white 2021 Dodge Ram struck two parked vehicles about 10:30 p.m. and then crashed into the hydro box.
The truck has a visible logo for G.L. Hawk Concrete Cutting Coring and Contracting on it. The operator of that company told The Lake Report the truck had been stolen.
Police said the driver fled the scene shortly after the collision. The case remains a hit-and-run investigation.
Linda Sauro lives across from the hydro box on Ricardo Street and was awakened by a loud banging.
“It didn’t sound like the raccoon opening up my green bin, which has happened a few times.”
Shortly afterward, her power went out.
Coun. Gary Burroughs lives right next to the hydro box that was hit.
The councillor was on his computer in his basement at the time and said he had to make his way outside in the dark.
“It was almost like having a new street gathering,” he joked. “All the neighbours were out.”
Burroughs said that the family in the cottage next to his house actually witnessed the crash. Their 17-year-old daughter took photos of the truck to share with police.
“I was so impressed, first of all, that she had the insight to take the picture and second that she gave it to the police,” Burroughs said.
Burroughs said he was impressed with how fast NOTL Hydro responded and got the power back on.
“All the cables were working by 2:30 in the morning. Unbelievable how they all worked as a team. Hydro, the police department, Cogeco, they were all working in the middle of the night.”
Police are appealing for witnesses and asked residents to check their surveillance footage for any relevant information.