Man arrested after driving allegedly stolen SUV into Conz Street house

NORTHAMPTON — Police arrested a 42-year-old Leverett man Saturday after he drove a stolen Jeep SUV into the side of a house on Conz Street, causing extensive damage to the home and vehicle.



The driver, Orlando C. Wright Jr., was injured in the crash and arrested on charges of receiving a stolen motor vehicle, wanton destruction of property over $250, negligent operation of a motor vehicle, operating a motor vehicle with a suspended license (subsequent offense), failure to stop or yield, failure to stop for police, and a marked lanes violation.



Wright, of 100 Cavehill Road in Leverett, was taken to Baystate Medical Center by ambulance with unknown injuries Saturday at around 2 p.m. and shortly after he had crashed the red Jeep into the single family home at 6 Conz St. He was treated and released, according to a hospital spokesman.



The property is owned by Seth H. Fischer and his wife, Patricia E. Sommeling, who live there with their two children and were not home at the time of the crash.



“We’re glad we weren’t home at the time,” Fischer said Sunday night.



He said he is working with the city and an insurance company regarding assessments of the damage, which included a hole in the foundation on the right side of the house. The impact also caused extensive damage to the front end of the SUV.



“We’re sorting it out,” Fischer said. “It’s just going to be a process we’re going to have to work through.”



SUV missing



Northampton police and fire crews were on the crash scene around 1:45 p.m. and Conz Street — from Old Street to the Senior Center — was shut down until 4 p.m.



The owner of the red Jeep, Michael McKnight, 68, of Southampton, said he was working on a snowmobile with a friend at Acme Auto Body on King Street and went outside for a cigarette break when he noticed his vehicle was missing. He said he had left the keys inside the vehicle.



Northampton Police Det. Michael Briggs said police saw the vehicle fleeing, pursued it, and then stopped their pursuit once they lost track of it. They then found that the SUV had crashed into the house.



Bill Stepanyk said he was at the Conz Street and Old Street intersection and saw the SUV speed by, traveling in the wrong lane.



“This car comes flying by at about 60 miles an hour,” he said, and then it continued through the intersection and into the house on the left side of the street. He said he could not recall what color the light was, but knew something was wrong. A police car came by a few seconds later but turned right onto Old Street, he said. Then several other police cars arrived and people waved them to the scene of the crash.



April Boisjolie, 30, of Northampton, said she was walking on the bike trail nearby when she saw a red SUV turn the corner “in a hurry” and accelerate down Conz Street as police cruisers followed. Then she heard a bang, she said. The SUV appears to have skidded across the road and torn through a fence, then hit the side of the purple house.



Remy Peyroux, 35, who lives next door at 8 Conz St., said he was inside when he heard tires screeching, then a crash. “Like in the movies,” he said.



When Peyroux went outside, he said, he saw police arrive and ask someone to get out of the car, but no one moved. He said police also asked if anyone had seen somebody run away, which he had not.



Dan Crowley can be reached at dcrowley@gazettenet.com. Stephanie McFeeters can be reached at smcfeeters@gazettenet.com.





