Wisconsin Man's Truck Goes Airborne, Crashes Through Roof

BELOIT, WI — A 37-year-old Wisconsin man has been arrested and was awaiting charges including drunken driving and reckless driving after police said he drove his truck so fast that it went airborne for about 60 feet before crashing into the roof of a condominium.

According to police in the Town of Beloit,Pieter E. Bruner, 37, was driving his Dodge pickup truck north along South Riverside Drive at extreme speeds when it veered off the road.

Police said Bruner's truck careened into an empty water retention area where a pond would ordinarily be and did not slow down.

Based on police and fire department accounts of the incident, Bruner's truck then drove up the opposite bank of the retention area which — like a jump at a monster truck rally — sent Bruner and his truck airborne.

Police say the truck was airborne for about 20 yards before it landed in the roof of a condominium.

A reporter from Channel 3000 talked with Joe Nyer, the resident of the condominium. Nyer said he was sitting in his garage watching the University of Wisconsin football game versus Michigan State. Nyer said it was about halftime when the truck appeared to fall from the sky.

"He didn't know what happened or where he was or anything," Nyer told the reporter.

The Town of Beloit Fire Department and Town of Beloit Police Department were on scene for more than two hours while the truck was being removed from the building — plucked from the roof with a crane two stories tall.

Police said the garage area of the condo was extensively damaged. Authorities say one person was transported to a local hospital, though no serious injuries were reported as a result of the crash.

Authorities in Beloit said Bruner was arrested for his third drunken driving offense, in addition to possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of marijuana and reckless driving.

As of Sunday, he was being held in the Rock County Jail awaiting charges and future court dates.