DETROIT (WXYZ) — The Martinez family was wrapping up after a yard sale Tuesday afternoon when a car came speeding and swerving down their street.
"It was very fast," said Javier Martinez, who yelled out to relatives to get out of the way.
Javier's sister, Gloria Martinez, thought the black Cadillac was going to hit a pole or her vehicle that was parked on Toledo Street near Clark Avenue in Southwest Detroit.
"But no," she said. "He came straight here to my house."
A home surveillance camera started recording as the driver was trying to back away from the brick porch his Cadillac had just crashed into and people were yelling at him to stop.
Gloria and her brother said even three young children who were in the backseat were telling the man to stop.
"At first, I thought he was going to just stay there because he had a passenger and some kids in the back," Gloria said. "I thought he was just going to stay there, but he got out and he took off running like crazy."
The family suspects the man may have been drinking because of how he was unable to control the vehicle and the man in the passenger seat appeared to have been holding a bottle of booze.
Three minutes before the crash, surveillance video shows Gloria's sister and granddaughter walking down the same porch that was about to become rubble.
"I know that it can be worse than this," she said.
Gloria has no idea how long the damage will remain because she and her husband, who is unable to work, just learned that their insurance won't cover the loss because the home they moved into 25 years ago was still in her sister's name.
But what she said is more important than finding a way to fix the damage, is that the man had three young children in the back seat of his car.
"The one message I want to tell the guy if he sees me, for him to please think about those innocent three little kids that were in back of his car," Gloria said.
And she doubts the man will return to offer to pay for the damage since he didn't stick around in the first place.
"I know he's not going to come and help me. I know he's not because when you make a mistake, you should be responsible enough to stay here," she said.
Gloria said it may take time but she hopes to have her porch the way it used to be.
"I waited so long for my husband to pay someone to do the porch, I can still wait again," she said.
Detroit Police do encourage anyone with information about the vehicle involved or the driver to call detectives at the 4th Precinct at 313-596-5440.
