Boston PD: 'Miraculously' No One Hurt When RI Man Drove Toyota Through City Hall Plaza

BOSTON, MA—A Tiverton man is in the hospital after driving down a staircase and crashing into a crosswalk signal pole at City Hall Plaza. Boston police are charging Nicholas Hoetzel, 26, of Tiverton, with several offenses, "including Unlawful Possession of a Firearm, Negligent Operation of a Motor Vehicle and Operating Under the Influence of Alcohol." But they are not treating the case as a terrorist attack, the department said.

According to the report, Downtown officers were called to City Hall Plaza on the Congress Street side around 10:37 p.m. Friday for an accident. They found "an unattended blue Toyota Corolla with heavy front-end damage crashed into a crosswalk light pole which was now laying in the right most travel lane of Congress Street." Hoetzel had fled. Witnesses told police he drove "onto the sidewalk and entered the Plaza from the area of Washington Street and Court Street, driving towards City Hall."

As he came toward the main building, he turned right and "down a large, three portion staircase before striking a large cast iron pole holding the crosswalk signal on Congress Street," police said. He did not hit anyone, but police called that outcome "miraculous" because pedestrians were on the stairs and in the plaza.

He allegedly jumped out and ran. He was found "unconscious, suffering from numerous self-inflicted, non-life-threatening injuries" near 28 State St.

"There is no indication that this incident has any nexus to terrorism," police said.

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