‘He just ran into that red car’: Police release footage following John Fetterman accident
“As soon as I walked up, I saw him in the shorts and the sweatshirt, and [I said], ‘Good morning, senator,’” one first responder said following the accident.
Maryland State Police have released video showing the moments following a car crash involving Sen. John Fetterman (D., Pa.) last month that landed him and his wife, Gisele, in the hospital.
The partially-redacted footage was obtained by the Washington Post, and shows officers discussing what happened after the June 9 accident involving Pennsylvania’s outspoken senator, who in recent days has been one of President Joe Biden’s loudest supporters.
“The black car is, it’s actually, I think a senator of Pennsylvania — that real big, tall guy. … He just ran into that red car,” a first responder is heard saying in the video. Another recognized Fetterman’s trademark attire.
“As soon as I walked up, I saw him in the shorts and the sweatshirt, and [I said], ‘Good morning, Senator,’” another first responder said.
First responders recognized the junior senator, but Fetterman did not announce his identity, according to the Post, adding that he answered questions “politely.”
“In 20 years of doing this, I’ve never, never had a politician,” the first responder added.
The release of the video comes amid Fetterman’s increasingly visible campaign in support of Biden’s reelection bid, despite mounting concerns from some of the senator’s congressional colleagues about the president’s ability to beat former President Donald Trump after Biden’s debate performance on June 27.
The senator, who had his own poor debate performance in 2022, accompanied Biden at a campaign visit to Roxborough last Sunday. “There is only one person in the country that’s ever kicked Trump’s ass in an election, and that is your president,” Fetterman reminded voters. “That’s our president. That’s your president. That’s my president.”
A spokesperson for Fetterman did not immediately return The Inquirer’s request for comment on the release of the video. Police are continuing to investigate the crash.
Fetterman was driving his Chevrolet Traverse at a “high rate of speed, well over the posted speed limit” of 70 miles per hour on Interstate 70 in Hancock, Md. when he struck the Chevrolet Impala being driven by a 62-year-old woman from Pennsylvania, according to a police report.
“He was flying, and she wanted to merge, and he just smashed her,” an officer in the video appeared to recall of a witness statement.
Fetterman was treated for a bruised shoulder at a local hospital following the crash and released shortly afterward, a spokesperson told The Inquirer.
The former lieutenant governor was found “at fault” for the crash, and no citation was given at the scene, according to the police report.
Fetterman has been ticketed for speeding twice in Pennsylvania, most recently in March for driving 34 miles above the speed limit in Westmoreland County, according to public records. After this incident, Fetterman was required to take a “driver’s improvement course,” according to the Washington Post. In April 2016, he was ticketed for going at least 24 mph above the speed limit in Warren County.
“I’ve been driving for almost 40 years, and I’ve gotten a small handful of tickets,” Fetterman said in a statement last month. “When I sped, I was held accountable. I need to do better and do it slower — and I will.”
Aides of the senator have said Fetterman has texted and FaceTimed while driving “prompting concerns among his staff and fears about riding with him,” the Post reported. Aides began to avoid riding in the car with Fetterman and refrain from contacting him when they know he is driving.