No one inside the homes was injured, but neighbors say speeding on the road has become dangerous and increasingly frequent.
Just before midnight on Dec. 4, troopers responded to the 1200 block of Wilson Road and found an unoccupied Subaru Forester in a front yard with smoke coming from the engine compartment.
Police say their preliminary investigation determined the Subaru had been traveling eastbound when it left the lane, hit a parked Volkswagen and then struck the sides of two homes, including one family's living room.
A neighbor's camera captured the moments after the crash, showing the driver, identified by police as a 29-year-old man from Philadelphia, running away while the Subaru burned in the yard.
"People are just not respectful of the fact that this is a neighborhood. They speed and just seem not to care," one neighbor said.
Troopers later found the driver walking less than a mile from the crash site, injured and showing signs of impairment. He was taken to a hospital for treatment and later released to police custody. Investigators say a loaded handgun was found in the vehicle's glove box.
People living along Wilson Road say this isn't the first time cars have careened off the roadway.
"My car was totaled sitting in the driveway at the hands of a drunk driver," another neighbor said.
Some described a pattern of vehicles losing control, particularly at night.
"A couple weeks ago, [my boyfriend's] car [was damaged] in a hit-and-run that he parks on the street," said Kelly Lockman of Wilmington. "I don't know how to solve this issue, but it is concerning when a lot of the living rooms are less than 15 feet from the road," she said.
Others said they were relieved no one was hurt but shaken by how close the impacts came.
"I was relieved that my house was safe, but I was scared for my neighbor and her baby," one resident said. "And then I heard about the next neighbor down the street and the catastrophic results of the accident. And then to find out that the perpetrator had run away. What a coward."
Neighbors say they want immediate changes.
"I would like to see speed bumps, I don't know, maybe a light or something at that curve. Something has to be done. This is getting to be way too frequent and way too dangerous," a resident said.
Lockman said the neighborhood was watching football when the crash happened.
"We were watching the Cowboys lose, go Birds. We both fell asleep on the couch and luckily it wasn't our living room," she said. "I'm sorry to hear about what happened to their home, but luckily it wasn't us."
Police arrested the driver after his release from the hospital and charged him with possession of a firearm while under the influence of alcohol, driving under the influence of alcohol and related traffic offenses. He was arraigned and released on his own recognizance.
Police have not released his name.