LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A Louisville family is picking up pieces of their home after a car crashed into their front porch Wednesday afternoon.
Louisville Metro Police said around 2:30 p.m., officers responded to a carjacking on the 500-block of South 18th St. Officers said they spotted juveniles in the stolen car around 38th St. and said the juveniles fled when officers tried to stop them. Police said the juveniles crashed on 32nd and Broadway.
The crash caused damage to two homes.
Whitney Reed, one of the homeowners, said she doesn’t know where to start the rebuilding process.
The same porch where she, her husband and one-year-old son sat watching fireworks just days ago, is now covered in dirt, debris and yellow tape.
"I had a wooden rail here. I had a black rail here. I had flowers,” Reed said. “All my flowerpots are just destroyed. I'm just surprised the steps are still standing. I was just going to apply for a loan. I was about to get a fence. I was going to repaint."
The renovations were planned after paying off their west Louisville home for six years. Reed and her husband paid it off in February.
"Like, this is a major setback,” she said. “I don't know what to do now."
The evidence of what caused the damage was still in front of her home.
The crash left a gaping hole in Reeds’ neighbors’ porch, exposing their basement.
"I know one of them is not that mobile,” Reed said. “For us, we're young. We can try to recover, try to put some things up. I don't know how they're going to deal with that."
As for Reed's home, she said the impact cracked the foundation, making their flood-prone basement more susceptible to damage.
"It's going to rain the next few days. It's probably going to get worse,” Reed said.
Despite her shock and frustration, she said she's concerned about how and why young people were involved in this. Reed said LMPD told her the suspects are in middle school.
"That's crazy,” she said. “How did these kids get ahold of this car and how did they end up here? I feel sad. I'm upset, but I'm glad I didn't find a body or something in the yard."
LMPD said the juveniles have been detained.
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