Driver was ‘huffing and blacked out’ before crashing into home, Massachusetts cops say

A woman under the influence of drugs crashed her car into a home and destroyed the porch, causing it to collapse, Massachusetts police said.

She was “huffing and blacked out” before her vehicle slammed into the home and two bicycles on April 12 in Methuen, according to the Methuen police department.

The woman, 31, of Kingston, New Hampshire, will be charged with speeding, a marked lanes violation and operating under the influence of drugs, police said in an April 12 news release.

She was huffing from aerosol cans, Robert Mills, a public safety liaison, told McClatchy News on April 13.

Typically, huffing refers to inhaling fumes from household items such as paint to get high, according to American Addiction Centers. It’s considered a dangerous form of substance abuse and can result in injuries or death.

The woman will be summoned to court to face the charges against her, police said.

Her condition following the crash wasn’t detailed by authorities.

Methuen is about 30 miles northwest of Boston.

This story was originally published April 13, 2023 at 11:41 AM with the headline "Driver was ‘huffing and blacked out’ before crashing into home, Massachusetts cops say."

Julia Marnin

McClatchy DC

Julia Marnin covers courts for McClatchy News, writing about criminal and civil affairs, including cases involving policing, corrections, civil liberties, fraud, and abuses of power. As a reporter on McClatchy’s National Real-Time Team, she’s also covered the COVID-19 pandemic and a variety of other topics since joining in 2021, following a fellowship with Newsweek. Born in Biloxi, Mississippi, she was raised in South Jersey and is now based in New York State.