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JSO: Jacksonville man had to crawl after crashing SUV into house

JSO has identified the 50-year-old man they say was intoxicated when he crashed his Mercedes SUV into an Avondale home.

The incident happened early Friday at 1261 Renssellaer Ave.

Police said that Robert Buccella crashed his 2008 Mercedes ML350 into the right side of the narrow, two-story home.

The SUV went so far into the home that Buccella couldn't exit through the driver's door, JSO said.

Instead, Buccella had to crawl to the rear of the car to exit. JSO was already on the scene by the time he managed to get out of the vehicle, a police report said.

Buccella had a "strong odor" of alcohol when questioned, JSO said. When asked about the crash, Buccella told police that he had been cut off, forcing him to make a hard left.

That's when he crashed into the house, he said.

As Buccella was being searched, JSO said they found a small bag of marijuana in his left-front shirt pocket.

A family of four lives at the residence, which had to be assessed for its structural integrity.

“I was horrified," said neighbor Elizabeth Dent. "The first thing we did was run across to make sure that everybody was okay. Once we found out everyone was okay, I had already picked up the phone to dial 911.”

Dent said officers were at the house for hours making sure the home was secure and the fire marshal checked the structure’s stability.