Maryland State Police troopers responding to a car crash involving Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) discussed how the lawmaker was speeding when he collided with another vehicle, according to body camera footage released for the first time Thursday. Video of the June crash captured heavy damage to Fetterman’s black Chevrolet Traverse and the rear of a red Chevrolet sedan.
“The black car is, I think it’s a senator from Pennsylvania — this really big, tall guy. … He just crashed into that red car,” an emergency responder is heard saying in the video.
The same officer who later testified said, “He was flying, and she went to merge, and he just ran her over.”
The footage, released Thursday by state police under Maryland’s Public Information Act and redacted in some cases, shows Fetterman politely answering questions. The senator did not identify himself when he and his wife and another driver gathered along the side of a Washington County highway last month.
An emergency responder at the scene who spoke to state police who lived some distance from Fetterman described how he recognized him.
“As soon as I got there, I saw him in the shorts and the jersey, and (I said), ‘Good morning, senator,’” he recalled. “In the 20 years I’ve been doing this, I’ve never, never had a politician.”
The crash occurred on the morning of June 9 on Interstate 70 near Hagerstown, state police said. Fetterman struck the rear of a Chevrolet Impala while traveling westbound “well in excess of the posted speed limit,” according to the police report, which cited a witness.
After the crash, Fetterman was treated for a shoulder injury and he and his wife were taken to a hospital by ambulance, according to a police report and information from his office. No citations were issued at the scene, the report said. Fetterman swept away the wreckage afterward and brandished a bag of frozen peas and Tylenol in a video with his wife, thanking people for their well-wishes.
Fetterman’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday afternoon, but in a statement last month, Fetterman said he would drive slower in the future.
“This was an unfortunate accident on Sunday, and I’m relieved and thankful that there were no serious injuries,” he said at the time. “I’ve been driving for almost 40 years and I’ve gotten a few minor tickets. When I was speeding, I was held responsible. I need to do better and slow down — and I will.”
Fetterman, a 6-foot-1 senator who survived a stroke during the campaign and checked into a medical facility for treatment for depression shortly after arriving in D.C., has cut an outrageous figure on Capitol Hill, wearing his trademark hoodies at formal events and in the Capitol, sparking a debate over the Senate’s dress code.
While he was Pennsylvania’s lieutenant governor for two years, Fetterman had a security team that drove him around the state. But as a senator, he often drives himself, especially in the Keystone State, according to people familiar with his travels. He often drives much of the way to and from his hometown of Braddock, Pa., and D.C.
The crash put a spotlight on Fetterman’s previous unsafe driving. He has received two speeding tickets for violations of at least 24 mph over the speed limit, one in 2016 and another in March, according to Pennsylvania state records. After this year’s ticket, when he was driving 34 mph over the limit, the state required him to take a driver-improvement course, according to a person familiar with the outcome who requested anonymity to describe the incident. Neither record specified where he was driving or how fast he was going.
In response to questions from The Washington Post about the stories about his driving, a spokesman for Fetterman called them “gossip and inaccurate” but would not provide details.
Some portions of video and audio that appear to contain personal or medical information were redacted by Maryland officials. Maryland law says that certain information is not considered public, such as personal addresses and phone numbers.
The video and audio capture an otherwise routine wreck for police, medics and firefighters. At one point, as two of them stand next to the damaged cars, they joke about how badly damaged Fetterman’s SUV is.
“I think I need a tow truck for this one too,” says one.
“Yeah, this one definitely won’t move,” replies the other respondent.
An earlier version of this story contained quotes that did not exactly match what is heard in the video. That version has been corrected.
Liz Goodwin contributed to this report.
