Florida man steals car in 'good faith,' abandons it on train tracks, car crashes into house

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MARTIN COUNTY, Fla. - A 38-year-old man is facing Grand Theft and Criminal Mischief charges after stealing a car and abandoning the vehicle on train tracks. An oncoming train hit the car, catapulting it into a nearby home, according to the Martin County Sheriff's Office.

Bradford Weitzel told deputies that he stole a car in ‘good faith’ after struggling to find his own car after leaving a bar early Saturday morning.

Weitzel told deputies he somehow ended up on the train tracks along Indian River Drive.

Deputies said that's when Weitzel claims the vehicle he stole suddenly stopped dead on the tracks as a train approached. So he said he got out and ran, leaving the car on the tracks.

In a matter of seconds, the train hit the car, launching it into a nearby home where the owners were sound asleep.

The homeowners were miraculously uninjured, according to deputies.

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Weitzel continued on his way, where investigators say he vandalized a local business and attempted to steal a forklift.

In the end, Weitzel told the Sheriff's Office he thought it was best to flag down the responding deputies to let them know he was still looking for his car.