BUFFALO, N.Y. — Just before 9:30 p.m. on Monday, Jamie Halstead was enjoying a campfire in the backyard of her home in Buffalo's Babcock neighborhood.
Mohammed Alam, the owner of the house next door, was just pulling into his driveway.
Another car, occupied by someone neither of them knew, suddenly backed down Alam's driveway at a high rate of speed and smashed into the front of Alam's van.
"I couldn't back up because of the cars parked across the street," said Alam, as he recalled barely having time to brace himself for the inevitable impact.
"I honked the horn but he didn't care," Alam said.
The audible crash jolted Halstead who came out to investigate.
Caught on Camera
Halstead shared a video captured by her home security camera. It shows not only the collision but the driver of the backing vehicle exiting after impact. Approaching Alam he is heard to say, "My bad, man."
Halstead claims that after police arrived the man, who appears to be staggering in the video, admitted he'd been drinking.
But despite that, she says police left without issuing any tickets. She also says she and others implored officers to conduct field sobriety tests on the driver.
"I think about five people in the neighborhood told them that it was clear that he was drunk, that he was stumbling and could barely walk. We were like, 'Do something please'."
But she says police declined, allegedly telling neighbors a drunk driving case, if pursued, would likely not hold up in court.
"I'm just really disappointed and frustrated with the cops," said Halstead. "Nothing was done, and we knew he was going to leave again and I wanted to make sure he wasn't going to smash into cars or into my house or anything."
Her thoughts turned out to be somewhat prophetic.
Out of the Way!
What happened next came as even more of a shock.
After the cops left the driver of the car, instead of waiting for Mr. Alams now disabled van to be towed out of the way made his exit through Halsstead's front yard. Also captured on video, Halstead is seen trying to stop the car as it guns its engine and tramples her flower bed, barely missing her as it comes within inches of her front porch.
"I wasn't even thinking to be honest with you," she said, in recalling her desperate and dangerous attempt to stop the car. Tire tracks through her patch of black-eyed Susans still marked the spot on Tuesday afternoon.
Police came back to the scene but she feels they shouldn't have left when they did in the first place
"It should have never got to this. Something should have been done when they first got here," she said.
Under Review
A police report regarding the incident makes no mention of any suspicion by responding officers that the driver was intoxicated.
A Buffalo police spokesperson says the incident, however, is under review and that a detective is now assigned to the case as the driver now faces more serious charges involving their recklessness captured on camera.