Stolen car collides into SEPTA trolley

A stolen SUV collided with a route 36trolley during rush hour Wednesday morning, sending all the trolley’s passengerto the hospital and leaving two men inside the SUV seriously injured.

Two men were driving at a high rate of speed inside a stolen white Hyundai Tuscon when they collided with the trolley, said Lt. John Walker of Southwest Detectives Division.

“They must have hit the trolley tracks driving too fast with the weather conditions, they lose control and strike the trolley,” Walker said.

The SUV was traveling southbound on 49th Street and attempting to turn right on Grays Avenue when it hit the route 36 trolley eastbound into Center City at 9:27 a.m.

Both men inside the SUV, which was reported stolen off the street in South Philly on Dec. 15, were trapped inside the vehicle and had to be extricated by the Fire Department.

The driver was in critical condition and the passenger had more serious life-threatening injuries, Walker said. Both were being treated at Presbyterian Hospital.

“We’re still trying to ID both individuals,” Walker said. “We’re not sure if the driver has a license.”

All29 passengers aboard the trolley were hurt, Walker said. They were brought to hospitals by SEPTA buses with non-life-threatening injuries. The trolley operator was not hurt, he said.

The driver of the stolen vehicle will likely face stolen vehicle charges and multiple charges of assault against all the trolley’s passengers, as well as the passenger in the stolen vehicle, Walker said.

The 4900 block of Grays Avenue was closed to traffic until the car could be towed around 12:30 p.m.