Hijacked Crane Causes Chaos on I-10, Louisiana Man Arrested

Drivers on I-10 westbound near Vinton were stunned early Saturday morning when a construction crane, hijacked by 37-year-old Matthew Vincent, triggered multiple crashes and shut down the interstate.

According to Louisiana State Police, Vincent abandoned his stuck pickup truck in a nearby field, then unlawfully entered the crane and maneuvered its boom across the highway. At least four vehicles struck the cables, leading to two injuries, extensive property damage, and the interstate shutting down for hours.

How It Happened

Investigators say Vincent drove his Ram truck off LA Hwy 108 before getting it stuck. He then crossed I-10 on foot, climbed into the crane parked in a construction zone, and began manipulating its boom arm. Though no construction crews were working at the time, Vincent’s actions resulted in several collisions before police arrived. He was later tracked down when troopers found his abandoned truck and confirmed his key fob had been left inside the crane.

Vincent now faces a long list of charges, including simple burglary, aggravated obstruction of a highway, negligent injuring, multiple hit-and-runs, and criminal mischief.

Social Media Reactions

The bizarre details quickly spread online, with hundreds of people weighing in.

• “Guess his intent to use the crane to pull out the stuck Ram? Wild!” wrote Lynda Williams.
• Julie Charbonnet joked, “My car broke so I guess I’ll just drive this here crane.”
• Others compared the incident to “Florida man” headlines, with Nathan Bell commenting, “I thought for sure this was going to be a Florida man sighting.”
• Stephen Nelson quipped, “I can see the billboards going up now. ‘If you, or someone you know, were injured by a rogue crane, call me.’”
• Some, like Dorothy Hargrove, were less amused: “For anyone to try and hijack a crane has to be missing something upstairs. Prayers go out to all that was affected.”

Others questioned how such heavy equipment was left unsecured in the first place. “Who’s getting fired on Monday for not securing that crane Friday afternoon???” asked Jamie Standiferd.

Investigation Ongoing

Louisiana State Police detectives continue to investigate and are looking into whether Vincent had help.