Hit-and-run leaves Cedar Rapids neighborhood without power

CEDAR RAPIDS - Several northeast Cedar Rapids residents woke up without power after a hit-and-run crash that took out a utility pole early Wednesday morning.

Police said a car took down a wooden pole around 1:30 a.m. along a low-traffic stretch of C Avenue NE, between 19th and 20th streets. The heavily damaged car wound up perched on an embankment in front of 1953 C Avenue NE.

The driver and passengers of the car ran from the scene of the crash and have not been located, police said.

Aaron O'Connor, 40, who lives at the residence where the car stopped, said the sound of the crash brought him outside.

"It sounded like an explosion," O'Connor said. "I knew something wasn't right."

O'Connor said a neighbor saw three or four males running south away from the wreckage. He said a liquor bottle was found near the car. He found it amusing that the driver flipped on the car's hazard lights before running away.

C Avenue NE remained closed at 8:30 a.m. between 19th and 20th streets, due to low-hanging power lines. Alliant Energy crews were on the scene preparing to set a new pole.

Alliant spokesman Justin Foss said the outage affects about 50 customers. He said crews hope to have power restored by lunchtime.

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