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Tow Truck Mayhem Causes Damage, Rattles Nerves In Sheepshead Bay

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – Police called it an overnight case of crash and dash.

A truck driver allegedly damaged a string of cars in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, and then fled into the night, CBS 2's Scott Rapoport reported Friday.

The suspect left a trail of vehicular damage and destruction.

"The whole bumper was knocked off. It was halfway on the ground. The mirror was like 20 feet away from my car," victim Allen Popper said.

Popper said his parked, red Ford Fiesta was one of five cars slammed into by a tow truck early Thursday morning on Ocean Avenue and Avenue Y.

The damage, in some cases, was extensive.

Popper said he was sound asleep inside in nearby apartment when it all happened, Rapoport reported.

"It's aggravating. I mean thank God I wasn't in the car," Popper said.

Police said the tow truck driver involved in the crash and was traveling at a high rate of speed and then bolted from the scene, leaving his truck from a company called "Dependable" abandoned.

"I would hope that the Kings County prosecutor prosecutes him to the fullest extent of the law," Popper said.

Rapoport stopped by the address for the towing company to ask about the driver and the company's reaction to the story. A man who identified himself as the manager said CBS 2 had the wrong company and that his company had nothing to do with it.

However, all phone numbers trailed back the address. The phone number that was seen on the tow truck itself was prominently displayed on the wall outside the business, and a dispatcher who picked up the phone when Rapoport called said that the business was indeed "Dependable" and confirmed the address.

Police said the driver, 26-year-old Igor Lyakhovetsky, was arrested and charged with unauthorized use of a vehicle and leaving the scene.

The suspect was awaiting arraignment Friday night.

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