NEWPORT -- Driving a stolen car with the police in pursuit, two local teens were seriously injured yesterday when they crashed into The Wave statue. Miraculously, there were no other injuries along the typically bustling sidewalk around the downtown landmark.
The police did not release the names of the teenagers, Newport boys ages 16 and 17, because they are juveniles and may be facing criminal charges, Sgt. Russell Hayes said. Because of the severity of their injuries, they were transferred from Newport Hospital to Rhode Island Hospital, in Providence, where their conditions were not immediately available. One was undergoing surgery, Hayes said.
The stolen car was speeding when it jumped the curb and hit the corner of the sculpture's concrete and brick base, but not The Wave itself, Hayes said. The 2005 Honda Civic, carrying just the two teens, sustained extensive front-end damage.
"The amazing part is that this is a pretty popular area. There are a lot of people there all the time," Hayes said. "It's not uncommon for people to be posing in front of The Wave for pictures. And it was a warm day. I'm surprised there was no one down there in that vicinity."
A woman who lives on a side street off Lower Thames Street called the police just before 11 a.m. to report that her car was missing from outside her home. It had been taken no more than 15 or 20 minutes before, she said. A description of the stolen vehicle was broadcast to officers on duty.
Several moments later, Patrolman David Robinson saw the car at the other end of town, on Admiral Kalbfus Road. Robinson radioed for help and while waiting followed right behind the car in his cruiser. He did not attempt to pull it over, Hayes said.
The stolen car returned downtown along Farewell Street to America's Cup Avenue. At the Gateway Center, another cruiser fell in behind the Honda. During this period, said Hayes, the car was not speeding and was closely followed in the right lane.
But upon reaching the heart of downtown, near Bannister's and Bowen's wharves, "the vehicle all of a sudden accelerates at a high rate of speed, turns into the left lane, passes a couple of other vehicles, and cuts back into the right lane," Hayes said. "As they cut back into the right lane, it appears they probably lost control."
The car crashed at 11:17, less than 20 minutes after it was reported missing.
The six-foot tall sculpture of a curling wave -- with two disembodied feet and ankles protruding from it -- was installed in 1983. Erected at the junction of America's Cup Avenue, Thames Street and Memorial Boulevard, it is the work of Jamestown sculptor Kay Worden.
Reporter Richard Salit can be reached at (401) 277-7467 or by e-mail at rsalitATprojo.com.
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