Stolen Budget van crashes into grandfather’s DC home

WASHINGTON - A Northeast D.C. grandfather’s Christmas plans were shattered Thursday when a stolen van crashed into his home, leaving it uninhabitable.

Michael Craig, the homeowner, was looking forward to celebrating the holiday season with his family next week. Now, his house on the 2400 block of 2nd Street Northeast is severely damaged, and structural engineers have deemed it unsafe to live in.

"I thought it was the back of the bathroom sink collapsing, and then I saw all this dust," Craig told FOX 5's Shomari Stone exclusively. "When I looked out the window, I saw the van right in the front. I’m really not sure how long I am going to be without a house."

The chaos began earlier in the day when a suspect stole the van from a delivery driver on the 1200 block of Rhode Island Avenue Northeast, according to D.C. police. Hours later, the stolen vehicle barreled into Craig’s home, hitting a gas line in the process.

Craig, along with his three grandsons — two adults and a 13-year-old boy —evacuated the house as firefighters arrived to turn off the gas and police shut down the street as a precaution. 

After the crash, the suspect fled the scene but was quickly arrested by police nearby. He has been charged with unauthorized use of a vehicle.

Detectives are now investigating whether the same suspect was responsible for the earlier carjacking and are trying to determine what caused the crash.

Despite the damage and uncertainty, Craig expressed gratitude to the D.C. Police Department, noting that an officer helped him secure a hotel room for the night. 

He worries, however, about the future, explaining that he does not have home insurance and is asking for help repairing his home’s structural damage.