NORTH MIAMI, FLA. (WSVN) - A North Miami homeowner is speaking out hours after a woman came crashing into his front porch while allegedly driving under the influence.
How does North Miami resident Gabriel Castaneda describe the deafening sound of metal against his property?
“Horrible wake-up call,” he said.
The homeowner is still reeling after the driver broke through the fence and hit a trash can before slamming into the house along Northeast 140th Street, near Dixie Highway, early Saturday morning.
To make matters even worse, Castaneda said, the woman behind the wheel stepped out of her car and made a run for it.
The crash left Castaneda with a broken fence, a yard torn up by tire tracks and a damaged porch. The frustrated resident said this isn’t the only issue he’s had living there.
“I continue to have problems in this neighborhood, and it doesn’t stop,” he said. “It’s progressively getting worse, and I feel like someone’s gonna die.”
The problems, he said, range from speeding cars to drive-by shootings and drug deals.
“My house is just one of the small things. I can imagine one of these children are gonna get run over by somebody driving like crazy, like an animal, like as if this is NASCAR,” he said.
Police located and arrested the woman, later identified as Magdalene Maurice, shortly after the crash. They said she was driving drunk.
As for Castaneda, he’s left waiting with his broken fence, hoping the city will put a stop to the area’s problems.
“It’s the wild, wild west,” he said.
The homeowner said he hopes the city will add speed bumps to the area and additional police presence.
Maurice faces several charges, including DUI and driving with a suspended license.
Copyright 2024 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.