Tempe Family Wakes Up to Front of Their Home Completely Caved In After Hit and Run Crash
It was barely light outside when Ashley and Jason Turnquist’s four dogs went into a frenzy.
The couple jolted awake. By the time Jason ran to the front of the house, the car was already backing out, speeding away into the dark. What it left behind was their entire front entryway, caved in.
A Family Woke Up to Their Home Broken Open
The crash happened around 4:45 AM Tuesday in a Tempe neighborhood near US 60 and Rural Road.
The couple had just finished renovating their front yard. What looked like a fresh start the night before was now scattered with tire tracks, broken glass, and debris.
“It’s so early in the morning, it was barely even light out, so it’s more of a silhouette of a Jeep,” Jason said. Ashley, Jason, their grandmother, and all four dogs were inside at the time. Everyone got out safe.
What hit harder than the damage was the fact that the driver just left. No stop. No check. Nothing.
Tempe police are now asking anyone with camera footage near the area to call 480-350-8311 or reach Silent Witness at 800-343-8477.
A Hit-and-Run and a Family That Still Wants to Help the Driver
Here’s what made this story different from most.
Ashley didn’t say she wants revenge. She said her real concern is whether the driver gets help, especially if they were under the influence that night.
That kind of grace, after your home’s front wall gets knocked in at 4 AM, says a lot. It also points to something the news report barely touched: the “why” behind early-morning crashes like this one.
ABC15
This isn’t the first time we’ve covered a car slamming into a home with people still inside. A nearly identical incident unfolded in Chester, South Carolina, where a car crashed into a home with seven people inside, same shock, same darkness, same unanswered questions about the driver.
You can read the full original Tempe report from ABC15 here.
Why This Matters More Than You Think
This isn’t just one bad night in Tempe.
According to the Storefront Safety Council, whose data has been validated by Lloyd’s of London, vehicles crash into buildings more than 100 times every single day across the United States. Each year, as many as 16,000 people are injured and up to 2,600 are killed in these incidents.
The front wall of a home is not designed to stop a car. Homes facing busy roads or highway-adjacent streets carry real exposure that most families never think about until something breaks through the front door.
A Tesla on autopilot crashed into a Texas home at high speed, killing a 76-year-old woman who was standing inside, a stark reminder that these aren’t always random drunk drivers. Sometimes the danger comes from technology failing at speed.
In Arizona alone, alcohol-related crashes in 2024 accounted for nearly 28% of all fatal collisions. A 4 AM crash near US 60 fits that pattern almost exactly.
You can review full vehicle-into-building crash data at the Storefront Safety Council.
Stories like this one travel fast in home safety communities. A lot of readers first catch them through WhatsApp channels focused on neighborhood and home safety news, where updates come in before the morning headlines.
Has something like this happened on your street or near your neighborhood? Drop it in the comments below, your experience might help someone else reading this right now.
What Homeowners Should Know Right Now
If a car ever hits your home, here’s what actually matters in the first hour.
Call 911 even if the driver has already fled. A police report is non-negotiable for your insurance claim.
Document everything before touching anything, tire marks, debris, structural gaps, all of it. Photos and video from multiple angles.
Don’t re-enter the home until someone checks the structural integrity of the wall. A caved-in entryway can mean load-bearing damage you can’t see.
Contact your homeowner’s insurance immediately. Vehicle-into-home damage is generally covered, but a hit-and-run complicates the driver liability side.
Late-night crashes near residential streets often cause secondary damage too. A crash in Steelton knocked down two power poles right next to homes, a reminder that the damage doesn’t always stop at the front wall.
For prevention, a concrete bollard or even a reinforced planter in front of a road-facing entry costs a few hundred dollars. It’s not glamorous, but it works.
Stay Updated on Home Safety Near You
For more coverage on incidents like this and what they mean for homeowners, visit Build Like New at buildlikenew.com.
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Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only, based on publicly available reports at the time of publication. Details may change as the investigation continues.
