Driver rams into Austin house; residents concerned about crime uptick

AUSTIN, Texas - People in a Northwest Austin neighborhood said something needs to change, so they can feel safe again. This comes after they said a driver rammed into a home and broke the home’s gas line.

It was Sunday, June 11 when a Northwest Austin resident saw law enforcement outside her home.

"I was getting ready for church and my dog was going crazy," Austin resident Jennifer Wiebe said.

A driver had rammed their car into the side of her neighbor’s house on Pheasant Rock Road.

"I think the homeowner thought it was an explosion at first," Wiebe said. "There was a crash and then the gas stove jumped four feet and all the burners turned on, so it was like click, click, click, click, and so I think he told his wife and his kids to get out of the house and called 911, and I don’t think it was until the first truck and the police came and let him know, hey, it wasn’t an explosion, someone actually hit your house."

The driver fled. What was left was a now patched up hole and a busted gas line.

Wiebe said this isn’t the first incident in the neighborhood.

"On a Friday morning there was a car driving by and gunshots. The police came out and collected all the casings. There was like 60 or 70 casings. Then walking distance from that house also the first murder of 2022 took place. Literally walking distance from both of those houses, two houses had cars run into them. That’s not normal," Wiebe said.

She said she grew up in the neighborhood and is now concerned about what’s been happening.

"The crime has increased a lot, and I’m just a person of action and want to do something about it," Wiebe said.

Wiebe wants others to join in to make a change.

"I think the police are doing a good job, I just wish we had more of them. I think people if they see something, say something, report the crime. I think a lot of crime goes unreported because you think the cops aren't going to do anything," Wiebe said.

If you have any information on this crash, call the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office at (512) 864-8282.