Mustang Crashes and Burns in John Muir Marsh

A 64-year-old Antioch man crashed his Mustang into the marshlands beyond John Muir Parkway Sunday night, according to Hercules police. When police officers arrived on the scene, the car was engulfed in flames with no one inside. 

The driver was discovered in a semiconscious state 20 feet from the vehicle. He sustained no visible injuries, according to Hercules Police Sgt. Ruben Rodriguez. "The car was totalled," said Rodriguez.

The crash that landed the Mustang about 30 feet into the marsh lands, according to the police report. Rodriguez said the driver admitted that he had been drinking and investigators are awaiting the results of a blood test to determine whether or not the man was intoxicated. Since no one was hurt and there was no property damage other than to the vehicle itself, no arrest was made at the scene, police said.

The blood test results could take up to a month, according to Rodriguez, who cited the non-urgent nature of the incident and the workload of the crime lab used by the Hercules Police Department. If the man is found to have been driving under the influence, he could be charged with a misdemeanor DUI. If anyone else had been hurt in the incident, Rodriguez added, the man would have been arrested immediately on suspicion of a felony charges and taken to County Jail. 

Eyewitness Report

Hercules resident Toni Leance witnessed the incident from her house on Sanderling. 

"I heard some pops and looked outside and saw a significant fire,"  Leance wrote in an email. "It was dark but you could tell it was a car. I called 911 but they were already aware of it. The fire truck first went the wrong way and had to double back to get to the end of John Muir. They had it out pretty quickly and then I saw an ambulance. I thought someone may have died because the car was engulfed and there were some explosions or what sounded like explosions."