Driver, Passengers Flee After Crash Through Cemetery Fence, Utility Pole

The driver and possibly passengers of a vehicle that smashed through a cemetery fence and utility pole early Thursday morning ran from the area before first responders arrived, according to Salem police.

The crash happened at about 12:30 a.m. on Thursday on Appleton Street, just up from Orne Street alongside Greenlawn Cemetery.

The crash took down an utility pole that fell into the street. The car also smashed through the cemetery fence. Nobody was injured and no headstones were disturbed, according to a tweet from Scott Parkinson.

About an hour after the crash, as the car was being towed away, it caught fire, according to a post from the Salem Firefighters Local 172 union on Facebook. It was put out.

National Grid was called and the scene was cleaned up and cleared at 2:15 a.m.

Police said an investigation into the crash continues because “operator and occupants” fled the scene.

Police checked the area for the driver and passengers after the crash and didn’t find them - but did find a Lynn man on Liberty Hill Road who was allegedly drunk and had nowhere to go, so he was taken into protective custody.

Photo courtesy of Betsy Holbrook‎.

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