Some Collegetown residents were jolted from their sleep early yesterday morning by the sounds of screeching tires, a thunderous crash and the sustained blare of a car alarm. Those who ventured over to Dryden Road to locate the source of the disturbance found a large car wrapped around the base of a tree, smoke lightly wafting from its undercarriage with the stinging smell of burnt rubber.

At approximately 1:45 a.m., a silver Ford Flex was heading east along the 400 block of Dryden Road when its driver presumably lost control and veered right onto the sidewalk. After barreling through a lawn sign, the car collided with a tree, tearing it in half; the uprooted trunk ripped up a small section of the sidewalk, while the top portion careened and fell on the car’s roof.

Zachary Gerow ’10 watched the aftermath of the collision from his porch, and said that two people were occupying the car at the time of the accident. Gerow said that the driver, who he described as an average-sized white male wearing baggie jeans and a tank top, quickly fled the scene. Several witnesses said the driver also appeared to be intoxicated.

"The car was smoking up. The driver opened his door and fled the scene up the sidewalk," Gerow said.

Shane Tucker '10, who was among the first on the scene following the accident, said she pursued the driver, hoping to persuade him to stay.

"We saw [the driver] fall out of the car ... and he started running. He ran down, like a house down and into the back yard. I followed him. I was on 9-1-1 the whole time ... and screaming at him to stop. But he kept bolting, down the entire block."

Meanwhile, the passenger, who witnesses also said appeared to be intoxicated, remained in the vicinity of the accident. Neighbors helped him into a nearby house where he remained until the police arrived.

The Ithaca Police Department, which responded to the accident, declined yesterday to provide any additional details or comment on the incident.