A semi-truck involved in an audacious theft made an equally brazen getaway after striking an overpass on I-94 in Detroit with a stolen excavator on board. The incident, which occurred yesterday morning, left behind the heavy machinery and a slick of leaking fluids, a testament to a high-velocity escape that ended with no suspect in custody.
Michigan State Police troopers were dispatched to the westbound lanes of I-94 at the Frontenac Avenue overpass around 9:50 a.m., following reports of a collision involving an overpass and a semi. As ClickOnDetroit noted, upon arrival, authorities discovered an overturned CAT excavator, its innards leaking onto the tarmac, but the truck that had been transporting the machine was nowhere to be found.
The context of the theft unraveled as the story developed—an excavator, recently purloined from a construction site on Seneca Street in Detroit, had been transported on a flatbed truck when it collided with the infrastructure overhead. This detail was corroborated by a separate report from FOX 2 Detroit, which indicated that the owner had reported the excavator stolen to a Detroit Police Department precinct prior to the incident.
Despite the property damage and potential hazards posed by the leaking fluids, no significant structural damage to the overpass has been reported. CBS News Detroit confirmed officials declared the damage to the overpass as "superficial." Following the impact, cleanup crews swiftly addressed the spillage, allowing for the roadway to be reopened to public use.
Authorities have yet to locate the driver of the stolen semi. The police are still investigating the theft and the hijacked escape that followed.
