Florida man 'steals' car, gets it stuck on railway tracks and jumps from the vehicle before its struck by a train: Wreckage is thrown into a nearby home

  • A Florida man jumped from a stolen car seconds before it was hit by a train and sent flying into a house before trying to steal a forklift from a fruit stand 
  • The sleeping residents were unharmed and the man, identified as 38-year-old Bradford Weitzel, of Port St. Lucie, was later arrested 
  • Police said Weitzel claimed he stole the car in a 'good faith effort' to search for his own car after leaving a bar in Martin County, 50 miles from West Palm Beach 
  • He got the car stuck on nearby railroad tracks in the path of an oncoming train, causing the stolen vehicle to be flung into the air and into a nearby home
  • After the crash, Weitzel tried to steal a forklift from a nearby fruit stand, which he also vandalized, the Martin County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement 
  • Weitzel faces charges of grand theft and criminal mischief, and additional charges are expected 

A Florida man allegedly stole a car and drove it onto train tracks where it got hit by a train and sent flying into a house. 

Bradford Weitzel, 38, of Port St. Lucie, told police he stole the car in the early hours of Sunday morning in a 'good faith effort' to search for his own vehicle after leaving a bar in Martin County, around 50 miles north of West Palm Beach.

Instead, he got the car stuck on nearby railroad tracks in the path of an oncoming train, causing the stolen vehicle to be catapulted into the air and into a nearby home. 

Weitzel told authorities that he was able to free himself from the vehicle as it was flung into the house, and amazingly escaped the incident unscathed. No one in the home was harmed.

'TRAIN vs VEHICLE vs HOUSE,' Martin County Sheriff's Office wrote in their post about the crash.

After the crash, Weitzel tried to steal a forklift from a nearby fruit stand, which he also vandalized, the Martin County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement. 

He was arrested after flagging down responding deputies 'to let them know he was still looking for his car,' the statement said. 

Pictured: the stolen car after the collision with a train in Florida, via the Martin County Sheriff's Office

Pictured: the stolen car after the collision with a train in Florida, via the Martin County Sheriff's Office

The car got stuck on nearby railroad tracks in the path of an oncoming train, causing the stolen vehicle to be flung into the air and into a nearby home

The car got stuck on nearby railroad tracks in the path of an oncoming train, causing the stolen vehicle to be flung into the air and into a nearby home

Pictured: the mugshot of 38-year-old Bradford Weitzel, of Port St. Lucie, who was arrested and charged with grand theft and criminal mischief

Pictured: the mugshot of 38-year-old Bradford Weitzel, of Port St. Lucie, who was arrested and charged with grand theft and criminal mischief

The homeowners were fine, but 'the explosive sound of a driverless car smashing into the side of their home was clearly jolting,' the sheriff’s office said. 

In describing the episode, the sheriff's office said: 'No title could explain this case, but the details will… well, it’s best to just read on.'

Photos of the crash show the stolen car nearly tipped over and totaled.

Weitzel faces charges of grand theft and criminal mischief, and additional charges are expected, according to authorities. 

The news comes just weeks after another Florida man made headlines after getting arrested with baggies of cocaine and meth strapped to his penis during a traffic stop.

Pictured: the vehicle's owner stands by the train tracks where his car was left and then struck by a train after Bradford Weitzel stole and wrecked it on Saturday morning

Pictured: the vehicle's owner stands by the train tracks where his car was left and then struck by a train after Bradford Weitzel stole and wrecked it on Saturday morning

Bradford Weitzel is seen in some of his Facebook photos
The 38-year-old is pictured in another one of his Facebook photos

Bradford Weitzel is seen in some of his Facebook photos

Weitzel, pictured, claimed he commandeered the ill-fated stolen car 'in a good faith effort' so that he could use it to find his own automobile, which he had lost after leaving a Florida bar

Weitzel, pictured, claimed he commandeered the ill-fated stolen car 'in a good faith effort' so that he could use it to find his own automobile, which he had lost after leaving a Florida bar

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