BOISE -- Two 14-year-old boys face grand theft charges after crashing a stolen car into a house.
A woman reported her car stolen at about 6 a.m. Monday. She said she started her car and left it running to warm up, and when she returned, it was gone.
About 45 minutes later, police officers spotted the vehicle and tried to pull it over. The driver refused to pull over, and instead, quickly sped away. Shortly thereafter, officers saw the vehicle lose control and crash into a home at the intersection of Hampton Road and West Irvine Street in Boise.
Marty Herceg is the owner of the home the boys crashed into. He says he was half asleep when he woke up to the sound of a loud explosion and his daughter yelling a car had crashed into the home.
"I opened the door ... the car was just sticking out with the blinker going," said Herceg.
The car got stuck half-way into the garage. Herceg says it was just inches from hitting the gas water heater. He's worried if that happened the house could have caught on fire.
While the water heater survived the crash, there was extensive damage. "Everything is ruined throughout the garage," said Herceg. "I'm a photographer and all my master negatives and files were all here from 30 years of shooting. They're toast, most of them."
This is the second time the Herceg's house has been hit by a car in two years. The last time, someone fell asleep at the wheel and ran straight into the garage.
After the crash, two teen boys tried to run from the scene. Officers chased them and were able to take them into custody.
The boys will be charged with grand theft and minors in consumption of alcohol. The teen who drove the car will be charged for driving without a license.
