LATEST April 16, 1:50 p.m. San Francisco police shared details of the Wednesday night car crash that halted service at the Powell Street cable car turnaround on Thursday morning.
Police responded to the 100 block of Cyril Magnin Street at approximately 8:29 p.m. on Wednesday night after receiving reports of the crash, SFPD spokesperson Eve Laokwansathitaya told SFGATE. While on their way, police were informed by dispatchers that the driver “fled on foot from the scene.” They later located the suspect, a 47-year-old man from Oakland, near the intersection of Cyril Magnin and Ellis streets and detained him for the investigation, Laokwansathitaya said.
The suspect was transported to San Francisco County Jail and booked on suspicion of driving under the influence, hit and run and unlawfully disobeying a traffic sign, Laokwansathitaya said.
Michael Roccaforte, a spokesperson for SFMTA, told SFGATE that service has since been restored at the cable car stop.
Laokwansathitaya said the investigation remains open and people with more information surrounding the crash are encouraged to contact SFPD by calling 415-575-4444 or texting a tip to TIP411 and beginning the message with “SFPD.”
April 16, 12:55 p.m. A section of San Francisco’s most popular cable car route is out of service for the foreseeable future after a person drove their car over the sidewalk and crashed into the Powell Street turnaround.
Michael Roccaforte, a spokesperson for the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, which oversees all three of the city’s cable car lines, confirmed the crash occurred at approximately 8:04 p.m. on Wednesday night. “A driver reportedly entered the restricted space of the Powell Cable Car turnaround and caused damage to the turnaround signal and a protective concrete barrier,” he told SFGATE in an email. No injuries were reported.
The Powell and Market Street cable car turnaround is arguably the most sought-after stop, with tourists often waiting in line for up to an hour to board. While the Hyde and Mason cable car lines will continue to operate between Fisherman’s Wharf and Washington Street, both will be unable to roll through the iconic stretch of downtown San Francisco until the turnaround signal is repaired, Roccaforte said.
“We do not yet have an estimated timeline for restoration but are working as quickly as possible to restore service,” he said.
In the meantime, bus substitutions will be in place to serve Powell Street, Roccaforte said, and SFMTA will be posting service updates via Muni alerts and on X. He advised people who want to take the Hyde or Mason cable car lines to board one of the shuttle buses from Powell Street to connect at Washington Street, where they can hop on a cable car to Fisherman’s Wharf.
FILE: People line up for the popular cable car stop. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
Reddit user MarineJAB, who requested anonymity and was granted it in accordance with Hearst’s ethics policy, said he was walking home from dinner with his co-workers in Chinatown around 9 p.m. on Wednesday when he passed the cable car turnaround. There, he saw several SFMTA employees in safety vests standing around a tow truck and a Jeep with its bumper missing. He took a few photos and asked one of the employees what happened.
“He told me ‘about two hours ago, a gentleman in a three piece suit drove his car down Powell, hit the pillar, and somehow ended up reversing but got stuck,'” the Reddit user told SFGATE. He added that the employee said the driver had been arrested.
Roccaforte referred SFGATE to the San Francisco Police Department for further details, which was not able to provide comment by time of publication.
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This article originally published at Oakland man arrested after crashing Jeep at popular SF tourist attraction.