Violent crash leaves vehicles mangled on SW Philadelphia street

SOUTHWEST PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- It started with a man speeding through the streets of Southwest Philadelphia, and ended with a violent crash.

The crash happened at the intersection of 57th and Whitby streets.

Neighborhood resident Michael Ray tells us, "It looked like it came out of a movie. This guy was flying. I mean he might have been doing 65, 70 miles per hour."

Friday morning, the driver of a Jeep lost control and left behind a mangled metal mess.

One car was hit so hard it's barely recognizable.

Michael Ray says, "It shook the whole house though. It was a loud noise. I thought it was a war zone."

Police believe the driver was under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

Those living near the scene are thankful no one was in the parked cars and no innocent bystanders were hurt.

The driver was the only person injured. And looking at the aftermath, that person is lucky he wasn't seriously hurt.

Jenell Jones of Southwest Philadelphia says, "He should have been hurt, but he has some super powers or something. That's crazy."

The extent of the driver's injuries is not clear. But those who saw him say he appeared to be delusional, and his hand was severely damaged.

Michael Hyer tells us, "He laid on the ground, his hand all bloody, he started eating his fingers. It was horrible."

And Hasheen Jacobs says, "I see the guy walking, got blood on his hand - he's got like half a hand, and he's screaming, 'Come on, walk with me. Y'all my peoples, walk with me'"

People living in the neighborhood say speeding drivers are a constant problem.

Michael Ray says, "This street here, cars always fly up and down this street. But they didn't do it in the winter, so you know as soon as it gets warm everybody thinks they are Superman."

Meantime, authorities are continuing to investigate what exactly led up to this crash.