A blue Honda Odyssey crossed a raised median, struck a road sign, and repeatedly traveled into opposing traffic before crashing into an Ohio home. Police say the impact severed a natural gas line. About 90 minutes later, the house exploded into a fireball.
Three adults escaped the Middletown residence before the October 2 explosion, which was captured on police body-camera footage. Firefighters had already evacuated the house and a neighboring property when the blast tore through the structure.
Destiny Rae Miller, 29, was arrested for operating a vehicle under the influence, driving under suspension, and failure to control. She told police she had consumed one mixed drink while watching football at a bar and could not remember what happened immediately before the crash.
Middletown police and fire department reports detail the collision, the explosion, and the efforts to extinguish a fire fueled by the damaged gas line. Two brothers who lived in the home later told police they had lost everything.
Then Came the Fireball
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Miller told Officer Marc Hunt she had been watching football at House of Brews on Central Avenue, where she consumed one mixed drink around 10:30 p.m. She said she later drove south on Breiel Boulevard, turned right onto Roosevelt Boulevard, and attempted to turn left onto East Street through a gap in the median.
Surveillance footage collected from Donatos Pizza at 4303 Roosevelt Boulevard and a neighboring residence documented a different sequence. According to Hunt’s report, Miller’s blue 2007 Honda Odyssey turned left onto Roosevelt Boulevard into opposing traffic, left the roadway, crossed the median, and returned to the pavement.
The minivan then crossed the median a second time, struck a one-way sign, continued into opposing traffic, and entered a yard before crashing into the house at a low rate of speed.
Police arrived at 4214 Roosevelt Boulevard around 2:37 a.m. Hunt described a loud hissing sound and a strong odor of gas. The impact had torn away the home’s gas meter, creating a substantial leak.
Officers shut down Roosevelt Boulevard while firefighters evacuated three adults from the house and residents of the neighboring property at 4212 Roosevelt Boulevard. Crews maintained a safe distance while Duke Energy was called to shut off the gas.
At approximately 4:03 a.m., the house exploded.
Firefighters described a large fireball followed by an intense gas-fed fire. Crews advanced hose lines and requested additional engines and medical units as flames threatened the neighboring residence.
Amy Fletcher, who lived next door, told WLWT, “I was just praying that the neighbors made it out and that everyone was okay.”
One Drink, According to the Driver
Emergency personnel transported Miller to Atrium Medical Center, where Hunt interviewed her after reading her Miranda rights.
Miller repeatedly told the officer she had consumed only one mixed drink and said she could not remember anything after attempting the turn onto East Street.
Hunt documented glassy, red eyes, thick-tongued speech, and a strong odor of alcohol. Miller agreed to a horizontal gaze nystagmus test, which examines involuntary eye movements that can indicate impairment.
Before administering the test, Hunt asked whether Miller had struck her head or was experiencing discomfort following the crash. She denied both. The officer subsequently documented six clues during the examination, including involuntary eye movements in both eyes.
When asked to provide a blood or urine sample for chemical testing, Miller refused and requested a lawyer. Hunt arrested her for OVI, and she was booked into Middletown City Jail at 6:07 a.m.
She also faces driving under suspension and failure to control charges. Her arrest record lists a $10,000 bond with a 10-percent provision.
Problem Beneath the Flames
As Miller was being taken to the hospital, firefighters at Roosevelt Boulevard were contending with a severely damaged house and a continuing supply of natural gas feeding the flames.
The explosion damaged siding and broke a window at the neighboring residence. A section of the destroyed home’s exterior wall also collapsed onto a vehicle parked next door.
A Duke Energy representative searched for a gas shutoff on the property but could not locate one. With a utility excavation crew on its way, firefighters attempted to stop the flow themselves.
A truck crew wearing full protective equipment approached the gas-fed fire carrying a Duke Energy shutoff tool. Other firefighters protected them with hose lines as they located the interior gas pipe and closed it.
The gas-fed flames went out, leaving several hot spots. Because the explosion had made the building unstable, firefighters continued their operations from outside.
Duke Energy’s excavation crew later located and clamped the underground supply line. Firefighters applied foam to the remains of the house to prevent another fire.
The department estimated $103,000 in structural damage and another $10,000 in lost contents. Three adults escaped the home without injury.
What the Brothers Lost
Aurelio and David Jacobo, two brothers living in the house, told Middletown police they had lost everything.
The fire also heavily damaged a red Toyota Tacoma and a white Honda van parked at the property. Both vehicles belonged to their sister, Sarai Jacobo, who was away serving in the military.
Gerardo Flores, who said he had worked alongside the brothers for years, established a GoFundMe fundraiser with their sister, Sarai Jacobo Castillo.
The brothers lost their work tools and life savings, which they had kept in cash inside the house. The fire department’s report documents that firefighters later supervised the retrieval of some cash from the damaged structure and returned it to the occupants.
All parties are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.