A Magna family's quiet weekend getaway had an unwelcome side plot back home, after a car barreled through their backyard fence just minutes after they pulled out of the driveway. The crash, caught on the home's security cameras, left behind splintered wood, a busted gate, and a lingering sense that their safe space is not quite so safe.
The family says what haunts them most is what could have happened. Their kids are often in that yard at that time of day, and now the household is talking about extra locks, brighter lights, and added cameras to keep an eye on the place.
The crash happened on Friday, June 12, around 4:30 p.m. near 2800 South and 9000 West, according to KSL. Security footage shows a red or orange Dodge Caliber veer across the road, plow straight through the rear fence, loop through the yard, and then exit back onto the street through the now-destroyed gate. Unified Police are asking anyone with information to contact them and reference case No. 26-50890.
"At first we were like, 'It's a joke,'" Ashley McCombs told KSL. She said the family did not believe the initial call from a neighbor until they checked their cameras and watched the car calmly turn the corner, then suddenly leave the roadway and head straight for their fence. The surreal sequence, she said, has left them feeling exposed and has fast-tracked plans for more security measures.
What the footage shows
The home's camera captures the Dodge Caliber making a routine-looking turn before it abruptly cuts across the street and into the backyard. The car punches through the wooden fence, crosses a stretch of lawn, then pivots and rolls back out through the broken gate as quickly as it arrived.
Neighbors who watched the clip pointed out something that only deepened their unease: despite the distance the vehicle traveled through the yard, it seemed to have only minor visible damage. That combination of sudden impact and quick getaway has rattled nearby residents and revived concerns about how safe their otherwise quiet residential streets really are.
Police ask for help
Unified Police describe the driver as a man between 20 and 30 years old. Investigators believe the suspect vehicle is likely a red or orange Dodge Caliber with relatively minimal visible damage. Anyone who recognizes the car or has information about the crash is asked to contact Unified Police and reference case No. 26-50890 so detectives can piece together what led up to the hit-and-run.
Road safety in Magna
Local planners say crashes in Magna tend to cluster along the busier corridors, with routes such as 8000 West and 3100 South accounting for a big share of reported collisions. Both the Magna general plan and a West Salt Lake Valley safety study by the Wasatch Front Regional Council call out roadway-departure crashes and urge changes aimed at keeping cars from leaving the pavement in the first place.
For the McCombs family, that planning jargon now feels very personal. Their case might be classified as a non‑injury property hit, but for a neighborhood watching cars slice across lawns on home security feeds, it lands as one more reason to push for quieter, safer streets.
