ICYMI: Police Say Acton Man Lost Temper, Jumped Into Traffic After Crash

By Barry Thompson (Patch Staff)

A car accident unfolded on Fri., June 5 at the intersection of Lake Street and Massachusetts Avenue in Arlington.

One of the drivers involved, John Difrancesco, 59, of Acton, wound up charged with disorderly conduct for allegedly losing his temper and jumping into oncoming traffic during the follow up investigation.

It is noteworthy that he was not charged with operating under the influence.

According to Arlington Police, they responded to the accident at approximately 2:28 p.m. Difrancesco was at the scene, and is said to have appeared disoriented. While able to answer officers’ questions, they say he tended to ramble and trail off on unrelated topics.

Officers asked him to recite the alphabet backwards and count backwards from 36 to 20, and Difrancesco successfully completed those tasks.

Officers deemed Difrancesco unable to continue operating his vehicle due to a medical issue, and asked that he call a friend to pick up his car, in which his dog was sitting.

Difrancesco’s friend arrived on scene, but the dog’s hostility toward said friend rendered him unable to enter, and therefore, drive the car.

It was around this time Difrancesco started waving his arms around and yelling curse words. Police say he ran into the road, interfering with traffic, and shouted “F!@#$ off! I’m a grown man!” after police brought him back to the sidewalk.

Officers subsequently arrested Difrancesco and charged him with disorderly conduct.

His car was towed, and the Animal Rescue League of Boston took custody of his dog.