Phoenix home hit by a driver for the third time

PHOENIX (AZFamily) — For the third time in seven years, a Phoenix couple in the Moon Valley neighborhood say a driver plowed into their home during the weekend.

Russell and Melissa Jenna were celebrating their anniversary on Saturday at a casino when they got a frantic call from their two sons at home near Seventh Avenue and Coral Gables Drive, which is south of Greenway Parkway. They quickly learned a driver had crashed through the exterior brick wall and into a bedroom.

Debris narrowly missed one of their sons. “He sounded scared,” said Jaxson Jenna, one of the sons. “It was just a lot of panic going on. I came out of my room, there was smoke underneath his door just pillowing up,”

Thankfully, both boys were unharmed. But the Jennas are frustrated with how the crash was handled. “You know, the grandparents had a better response time than Phoenix,” said Russell Jenna.

According to the Jennas, it took about 40 minutes for Phoenix police to get there, and by that time, the driver had run away. The passenger did stay on scene and told the family he did not know the driver well and they had been at a bar before the crash.

But this incident is not the first time the Jennas have experienced at this home. “I think it’s just people trying to make this corner at high rates of speed, slow response time, because they’re drinking and just keep going straight. So this is the second time for this area. Third time was over here on the other side of the RV gate,” said Russell Jenna.

The repeat crashes are covered by insurance but Russell says it’s still creating a major financial strain on their family. “This is the third time this has happened in seven years, and we’re incurring a bunch of costs that didn’t, we didn’t expect. It’s extensive, it’s, it’s a bit heavier than two nurses can carry,” he said.

The family has been in contact with city leaders to see what can be done to make the area safer. Arizona’s Family did reach out to Phoenix Police about the delayed response time. Officials said since the driver stayed on scene and there were no injuries, the call wasn’t a high priority. However, once they learned the driver had taken off, police made it a priority and arrived rather quickly. Officers did not mention if they found the driver.

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