Records show Petersburg firefighter told police he drank 18 beers before engine crash

PETERSBURG, Va. (WRIC) — An incident on Tuesday in which an on-duty Petersburg firefighter crashed an engine into a parked car was determined to have involved alcohol, according to documents obtained by 8News.

The City of Petersburg sent out a media release on Thursday, July 25, which said that an on-duty firefighter crashed a fire engine into a parked car on Sycamore Street on Tuesday during a training exercise. No one was in the parked car and no one was injured, according to the release.

According to documents obtained by 8News from the Petersburg General District Courthouse on Friday, the firefighter told an officer at the scene that he had accidentally side-swiped the parked car because he was navigating in a “tight spot.”

The firefighter was breathalyzed and it was determined that he had a blood alcohol level of .145, nearly twice the legal limit.

Documents confirm the 34-year-old firefighter told the officer he had consumed 18 beers, each of which were 8% alcohol by volume, before getting behind the wheel of the fire engine. He’s now facing a driving while intoxicated charge and has been placed on administrative leave by the department while the crash is investigated.

It is not known at this time how much time passed between the firefighter’s last drink and the crash. The firefighter has not been identified.

This is a developing story, stay with 8News for updates.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WRIC ABC 8News.