PITTSBURGH — A homeowner is demanding answers from police after a car crashed into her home at 2:30 a.m. on Halloween night. The driver was able to leave the scene without doing a field sobriety test.
That car left behind a huge hole and cracked the home’s foundation. The repairs, which will be covered by insurance, will cost around $60,000, but right now, that gaping hole remains and you can see right into the home’s basement.
“The first thing you do when that happens and it’s Halloween night, is probably conduct a field sobriety test,” Osburn tells 11 Investigates.
Monique Osburn wants to know why that didn’t happen. You might remember a couple of weeks ago when we told you about the car that had to be towed out of her house. The damage was so severe, a building inspector condemned the front porch.
RELATED COVERAGE >>> Police supervisors reviewing officers’ response and report of car that drove into home
“Myself and my husband have asked both officers if they were going to conduct a field sobriety test and we were completely brushed off,” Osburn said.
11 Investigates learned it is up to the officers who respond to the call to determine if a field sobriety test should be done. Beth Pittinger, the Executive Director of the Citizen’s Police Review Board, says in this situation, it’s a very reasonable request.
“You would think the description we have, the individual ran into somebody’s home and caused a lot of damage, that there would have been some additional scrutiny to the circumstance,” Pittinger tells 11 Investigates. “Who knows and now nobody will know because there was no field sobriety, there was no blood alcohol.”
We took the Osburns’ concerns to the Pittsburgh Police. They tell us that supervisors reviewed the officers’ actions, and a DUI expert went through the body camera footage and saw no signs of impairment.
When we first talked to Osburn, she couldn’t get a police report, but police tell us one is now available for her to pick up. She feels the officers she called for help in the middle of the night failed her.
“It’s negligent on the cops’ behalf, they couldn’t be bothered,” Osburn said. “You’re supposed to be able to depend on the cops - protect and serve, but I don’t feel they did that at all.”
The driver is not facing any charges, and we’re told she will not get a traffic ticket either.
Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts.
Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW
©2025 Cox Media Group
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/XCUXZC2XYZHCRGNNGKFEX6U3LQ.png)
