Snowplow driver allegedly confessed to snorting cocaine before crashing through garage on first day at new job
A Connecticut snowplow driver allegedly admitted to police that he used cocaine and lost consciousness moments before plowing through multiple properties, leaving hundreds of feet of damage behind.
Authorities say 46-year-old Mark Keene was working a routine snow removal job in Fairfield on Dec. 28 when he veered off course and caused extensive destruction. According to police and video obtained by News 12 Connecticut, Keene’s truck clipped a home’s porch, smashed through a stone wall, crossed several lawns, and ultimately slammed into a parked car, pushing it through a closed garage door.
The incident marked Keene’s first official day working for Bollinger Landscaping, the company that owned the plow truck, the owner told the outlet.
According to an arrest warrant, Keene told police he had snorted three “bumps of cocaine” after arguing with his girlfriend over the phone. He said the next thing he remembered was sitting in the plow truck in a driveway, where Fairfield police later found him.
When officers arrived, Keene reportedly said he was waiting for coworkers to help him shovel snow. He claimed he was not injured and said he had no idea he had been involved in a crash.
Police noted that Keene had slurred speech and pinpoint pupils and asked him to perform a field sobriety test. Midway through the test, officers said Keene began foaming at the mouth and turned blue. He was administered Narcan and rushed to a hospital.
During transport, Keene allegedly became combative, biting an officer and resisting first responders. He was restrained before eventually calming down at the hospital, police said.
Toxicology results later showed cocaine, benzodiazepines, and cannabinoids in his system, according to the warrant.
Video footage shows the plow zigzagging across lawns on Glen Ridge Road, striking a porch fence and destroying parts of it before crashing through a stone wall into a neighboring property. The truck continued across another yard before reaching the street, where it struck a parked car and forced it into a garage. Photos from the scene show the impacted car crushed beneath another vehicle that had been parked inside the garage, pushing the second car upward toward the ceiling.
Police said the crash left a 434-foot trail of destruction.
Keene turned himself in on Jan. 8 and posted a $15,000 bond. He was scheduled to appear in court on Jan. 20, but the case was continued to Feb. 25. He is charged with driving under the influence and reckless driving.
Keene could not be reached for comment.
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