A police report sheds new light on the under-the-influence joyride that resulted in a hit-and-run in Bellingham, Massachusetts, last month, all of which was caught on shocking dashcam video.
The report from police in West Greenwich, Rhode Island, details how the driver, identified as Massimo Sweet, turned himself after driving the 1-800-GOT-JUNK truck in on the night of Jan. 14.
"A 1-800-GOT-JUNK dumpster truck … approached my vehicle, and the operator stated that he wished to turn himself in," the officer wrote. "The operator, later identified as Massimo Sweet, reported that he took 'shrooms' and has been driving around for the past several hours. Sweet also reported that he believes he hit a person while driving but was unsure where or when."
Sweet, who wasn't named when Bellingham police announced the arrest Wednesday, told the officer he didn't know where he was and that he believed he'd soiled himself while driving.
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Bellingham police had shared video of the crash that showed both the driver, speeding down Pulaski Boulevard at nearly 80 mph, and the view from the cab as it weaved through traffic and rammed into the back of a vehicle. The truck kept going, police said.
Sweet had been sleeping in the warehouse of the 1-800-GOT-JUNK warehouse with his boss' permission, according to the police report. On the night of the 14th, he told officers he'd taken mushrooms and was seeing hallucinations, then locked himself out of the warehouse and decided to go for a ride. By the time he ended up in West Greenwich — about 50 miles from Hopkinton, where the truck had been taken from, he was feeling sober.
The West Greenwich police officers got in touch with with Hopkinton police, who said they'd received a report from a 1-800-GOT-JUNK worker who said the truck was stolen and that live dash camera footage showed Sweet driving it. Bellingham police then got in touch with information about the hit-and-run crash at about 8 p.m.
It wasn't immediately clear if Sweet had an attorney who could speak to his arrest. He is due to appear in Milford District Court next month.
A general manager for 1-800-GOT-JUNK confirmed that Sweet had been employed there but isn't any longer, and shared a message about him in an email: "Max was a trusted member of our team for many years, but he is no longer employed by us. Sometimes people experience things that take them off track in life and our hope is that he gets the help and support he needs."
