WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah, March 1, 2025 (Gephardt Daily) — A hit-and-run involving a stolen car and an apartment building Friday night left two apartments uninhabitable, one with a vehicle stuck halfway into the recently rented space.
The call came in at about 6 p.m., West Valley City Battalion Chief Nick Dodge told Gephardt Daily. First responders made their way to the area of 3100 South and 2200 West.
Officials were alerted when an area resident reported an attempted car theft, “but the vehicle ran into the basement apartment window,” Dodge told Gephardt Daily.
“The vehicle was almost fully into the basement apartment. Luckily, nobody was home at the time in the basement apartment, and then they (the person or people in the car) ran, so they were unsure as to who or what or why,” regarding the attempted theft and crash, Dodge said.
Crews were mostly concerned with getting the car removed, gas meters closed, and power boxes cleared, he said.
“All in all, it all went well, with no injuries. The basement apartment is uninhabitable, and the one above it was also uninhabitable, per the building inspector.”
Red Cross was assisting the apartment residents, Dodge said, and “The apartment complex is also being pretty cool.”
The resident of the car-impaled apartment, “just barely moved in, but I guess they have another available apartment for him, and so we were able to help him move the majority of his stuff into his new apartment.”
So, because of the apartment complex help and the volunteer work of West Valley City station 73 firefighters, “he’s already got a new apartment.”
Dodge also credited HazMat crews and structural engineers with handling other vital functions at the scene.
