When constructions crews installed high curbing on the sidewalks along the western portion of Main Street last summer as part of the Main Street Construction Project, it generally was not well received. On Wednesday morning, however, the curbing may have helped limit the damage caused by a vehicle that crashed after being involved in a high-speed police chase.
According to information from police in multiple towns, the ordeal originated in Framingham, where individuals suspected in a home break-in on Fay Road (near Ashland’s eastern border) took off after the property owner saw them. The suspects were spotted in a stolen older-model Saab and fled from police. The Saab sped up Route 135 in Ashland and, after striking at least two other vehicles, continued west into Hopkinton, right through the major construction project in the center of town during morning rush hour.
As the car headed west down the middle of Main Street, which was divided by cones, a detail officer at the Route 135/Route 85 intersection stood in the road to block its path, video from the center of town shows. However, when the car showed no indications of slowing down, the officer moved out of the way.
The Saab continued west on Main Street, then at 8:33 a.m. it attempted to make a right turn on Mount Auburn Street, at the corner where Main Street Service Center is located. The car was unable to navigate the turn cleanly at a high rate of speed and crashed into the high curbing on the opposite side of the road, security video shows. The left side of the car bounced over the curb, with the vehicle straddling the curb as smoke started to emerge from under the hood.
Two occupants immediately exited the vehicle, with the driver racing through the company’s parking lot and the passenger heading down Mount Auburn Street. Police arrived on the scene 20 seconds later and engaged in a foot pursuit. Two individuals were arrested, including a 17-year-old male.
Main Street Service Center owner John Incardone — who saw the crash from one of his service bays and shared the above security video — noted that prior to last year’s construction, there were no curbs around his property (which he preferred). However, it turned out to be fortunate on Wednesday, because the curbing may have prevented the car from crashing into his building.
When seconds matter, the police are only minutes away.
This is more cars on the bike path than bikes. I live on Main Street and have yet to see a single person happily riding by, pedaling, not driving. Fortunately, and more importantly, nobody was hurt and Main Street Auto was not damaged. That is all that matters.