Cambridge Gas Depot Crash "Could Have Been Catastrophic" - WMDT 47 News - Delmarva's Choice

CAMBRIDGE, Md. - Police say it's just a matter of time before 27-year-old Justin Noble is charged for crashing his car into a fuel depot Wednesday night.

WMDT found crews fixing the gasoline tank Thursday afternoon. Cambridge Fire Chief, Robert Phillips tells WMDT 4 thousand gallons spilled at the Aero Energy fuel facility on Leonards Lane, near a quiet Cambridge neighborhood. One small spark, he adds, "could have been a catastrophic situation" for the city.

Cambridge residents admit they're in shock. "That's crazy," exclaimed Frank Caviston. "I didn't know what was stored there."

"Awful smell of gas," describes another concerned resident, awoken by the emergency responders working in the area overnight. "Of course, I could hear the sirens and see them down the street. I was thinking of leaving. I didn't go to bed until 5 this morning! I was a wreck!"

Investigators tell WMDT it all started a little before 11pm Wednesday night. Police say Noble was driving along Leonards Lane when he reportedly swerved off the road, hit the fence in front of the Aero Energy property, ejecting Noble out the driver's side window. Investigators say the vehicle continued to roll until it hit one of the 8 large tanks on property, destroying fuel pipes.

Workers at the scene Thursday tell us the impact was strong enough to move the tank 6 inches. Remarkably, Cambridge police say, after all of this, Noble got back into the car and drove away.

Evidence left at the scene helped police identify the driver, but investigators will not say exactly what that is.

Noble did not get far. Police reportedly found his car parked behind a house just 3 blocks down Leonards Lane. "He was injured," explains Lt. Mark Lewis with Cambridge Police, who tells WMDT Noble had injuries consistent with being thrown from a car. "He was taken to PRMC for this injuries, has been treated and released."

What's even more shocking, investigators say they found Noble's 20-month-old daughter had been in the accident, as well. Emergency responders flew her to Baltimore for treatment. She has since been released into her mother's custody.

The Maryland Department of the Environment sent in specialists to check out how the fuel spill will affect surrounding soil and waterways. Aero Energy brought in an environmental clean-up company, which had the gasoline and contaminated soil removed.  Testing of the surrounding soil and waterways are ongoing.

The Cambridge Fire Chief tells WMDT quick thinking on the part of fire fighters helped minimize the amount of fuel spilled. "People getting there who knew how shut valves off," recalls Phillips, "we were able to contain it to about 4 thousand gallons. We had to be very very careful about the tools we used and how we approached it."

We're told each of the 8 tanks on the property hold up to 20 thousand gallons of gasoline.