Car crashes through home on Pittsburgh’s South Side after driver hits Port Authority bus, takes off

PITTSBURGH — A man is behind bars after police said he crashed into a Port Authority bus and then took off.

“I was scared. I didn’t know what happened. I saw all the police lights flashing,” said Chelsea Crawford. “I was kind of winding down and getting ready to go to sleep. The next thing I hear is a big crash, a big boom, almost sounded like an explosion or maybe a gunshot.”

Crawford lives next to the home at 17th and Wharton Street on Pittsburgh’s South Side where there’s now a gaping hole and a condemned sign.

Police said just before midnight, Tyler McDonough, 23, from Ellwood City crashed into a Port Authority bus just down the road in Wharton Square. When first responders got there, they found him slumped over the wheel, possibly under the influence of some substance.

Officials said he then came to and took off, driving erratically and plowing right into the townhouse.

“It’s amazing. You look at it, it went right through the pole and the tree. It’s crazy,” said Craig Grochalaski. “When I walked out, I never seen anything like it. It was the craziest thing I seen.”

People living where the SUV came to a rest said the weekend traffic changes to the South Side have been a nightmare and that they may have contributed to the crash.

Pittsburgh officers being investigated after breaking up brawl at South Side restaurant

©2021 Cox Media Group