Driver Goes on Wild Ride Through Presto

Meghan Nightingale and her family didn’t know what to think Sunday afternoon when a car started making a loud racket outside their Collier Township home.

A red car was clunking along right outside their house as the driver tried to make it up Price Road in their Presto neighborhood. The car’s hood was caved in and it sounded as though the transmission was shot.

Then the car started backing up, nearly hitting her house. Finally, the driver stopped the vehicle, stumbled out of the car and laid down to take a nap under a neighbor’s shade tree.

“It was more excitement than we’ve ever seen on this street,” Nightingale said. “The cops were lined up all the way down the street. It was insane.”

Four police departments and two paramedic crews arrived at the scene. The driver, John Liggett, 55, of Bridgeville, was charged with drunken driving and could face additional charges from other authorities.

Police said Liggett originally crashed in Carnegie, prompting officers there to search for him. However, they were unable to locate him or his car until residents on Price Road called police shortly before 4 p.m.

She said paramedics tended to him until he appeared to be in good enough condition to be taken away by police. He did not appear to be seriously injured, she said.

“We were just sitting inside and this happens,” Nightingale said. “It was pretty crazy.”

It is not known which way Liggett drove from Carnegie to Collier Township, and police are unsure why Liggett ended up in the Presto neighborhood. However, Nightingale said he previously lived just up the road from her home.

Carnegie police could not be reached for comment on whether Liggett will face additional charges.