A driver is dead after their truck crashed into a health center in Devens, Massachusetts, and caught fire, authorities said Wednesday.
A law enforcement source told NBC10 Boston the incident appears to have been a deliberate act and that the driver had a family member who had been treated at the facility in the past.
The crash occurred shortly after 5:30 a.m. at the TaraVista Behavioral Health Care Center on Patton Road, Massachusetts State Police said. According to its website, the facility is a regional provider for inpatient psychiatric care for children and adults throughout Massachusetts and southern New Hampshire.
Aerial footage from the scene showed smoke rising from the truck and the building in the wake of the crash. Firefighters were called to the facility for a reported fire, which was quickly extinguished, according to authorities.
State police and the state Fire Marshal’s Office are on scene as part of the investigation into the fire. Devens police are investigating the crash.
The driver was identified on Thursday as 62-year-old John M. Ahern of West Boylston.
Francis Sauvageau, CEO of Taravista and MiraVista Behavioral Health Centers, said at a press conference Wednesday morning that no one inside the facility was injured.
He said the truck crashed into the front of the hospital facility, hitting the unoccupied administration offices. No patient rooms were damaged.
“Patients and staff are all accounted for and unharmed,” he said. “At no time were they in any danger.”
Sauvageau said the building remains structurally sound, and the facility is continuing to treat patients. It will begin accepting new patients again on Thursday.
He said the facility has a 117-patient capacity and was fully occupied when the incident occurred.
He said any family members of patients with questions can call 978-615-5200.
“The folks who were here in the building did an outstanding job,” Sauvageau said. “I couldn’t ask any more. The whole staff came together and made sure every one of the patients were safe.”
No further information immediately available.
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