Car slams into University apartment

At roughly 11:45 p.m. last night, a vehicle slammed into the front porch of the University apartments at 11 Sunset Rd., and the driver fled the scene.

According to senior Joseph Ungerleider, who lives in the upstairs apartment, the driver was visibly intoxicated.

"I was sitting in my room, and it literally shook me out my seat," he said.

Senior Nick Palange, whose bedroom is directly above the front porch of the building, said he heard a loud bang, followed by screeching tires.

"I went out onto the balcony and saw a car in our house," he said.

Ungerleider said that he went outside, and saw the driver step out of the car after attempting to back his car out from under the front porch. Ungerleider immediately called the Tufts University Police Department (TUPD).

Two neighbors attended to the driver immediately after the impact, and, according to Ungerleider. The neighbors helped the driver remove the vehicle, and when it was free, the driver jumped back into the car and sped away. According to Ungerleider, the car headed down Sunset and onto Hillsdale St., heading toward Boston Ave.

Palange was able to record the license plate number of the vehicle.

Both TUPD and the Somerville Police Department responded to the accident. Police were able to match the license plate to an address, Ungerleider said.

The latticework on the front porch of the building, as well as some plumbing underneath the porch was visibly damaged. TUPD was unable to comment in time for this article.

--by Ethan Austin