Video released Thursday by state troopers in Maryland shows the police response to a crash involving Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman, with one officer reportedly sharing a witness's shocked statement that, “He was flying, and she wanted to merge, and he just smashed her.”
In the video, obtained by The Washington Post, a Maryland State Trooper is recorded on body camera saying: “The black car is, it’s actually, I think the senator of Pennsylvania — the real big, tall guy. ... He just ran into that red car."
The officer then shared a statement from a witness who said Fetterman was speeding and collided with the sedan as she tried to merge.
A first responder is also recorded on camera telling chuckling officers that he saw Fetterman in his classic shorts and sweatshirt combination, and said, "Good morning, senator."
“In 20 years of doing this, I’ve never had a politician," the first responder can be heard saying.
Fetterman and his wife Gisele were taken to the hospital after the crash, in which the senator was driving a Chevrolet Traverse when he rear-ended a Chevrolet Impala in northern Maryland near the Pennsylvania and West Virginia border. The Fettermans were driving in Hancock, Maryland, when the crash happened around 8 a.m.
"'John was treated for a bruised shoulder and they were discharged that afternoon," said a spokesperson, adding that both of them were "doing well" and "happy" after they returned to their home in Braddock, Pennsylvania.
Fetterman, a former mayor and lieutenant governor who was elected to the Senate in 2022, has struggled with health issues since suffering a stroke during the primaries.
The illness left him with impaired auditory processing capabilities, although he has since improved considerably.