'It was like 'The Fast and the Furious,' six children and two adults involved in crash

Update: The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department arrested a 27-year-old man for operating a vehicle while intoxicated and for his involvement in Tuesday evening's crash on the east side of the city.

INDIANAPOLIS — Jehan Hardin was with his family at the tire shop that sits on the corner of North State Avenue and East New York Street when he saw what he knew was about to be a "bad crash."

Everything in between that initial gut reaction to standing on the side of yellow tape watching the aftermath had him feeling like everything happened so fast.

"It was like 'The Fast and the Furious," said Hardin. "I was up here at the tire shop. We were just coming to get some air. Me and my family were just sitting there and all of a sudden we just see a (Dodge Charger SRT) Hellcat flying."

He said the Dodge's driver tried to hit its brakes, but could not avoid a collision.

"He wiggled like he was trying to avoid the car, but he couldn't do anything how fast he was flying," Hardin said. "He hits that car, that car spins around. I see a body fly and debris go everywhere. The car was smoking after it got hit. So, my first reaction was to help everybody get out."

Calls for the crash came in just after 3:30 p.m. Tuesday. Indianapolis Fire Department confirmed the crash involved two vehicles that left six kids and two adults injured. The man in the Dodge was heading north on State Avenue and a woman driver and six kids was heading east on New York in a Ford Explorer when the crash occurred.

Video from a nearby surveillance camera indicates the Dodge's driver had a red light.

Two children, ages 12 and 2, were transported to Riley Hospital in stable condition. Two other children whose ages are still unknown according to IFD were transported to Riley Hospital in critical condition.

One child, age 4, was transported in stable condition to Methodist Hospital. One child, age 14, was transported to Methodist Hospital in critical condition.

One of the children was ejected from the Explorer by the force of the collision.

Both adults are in stable condition.

Minutes after reporting a person was dead in a vehicle crash, Indianapolis Metropolitan Police said due to "incredible life-saving efforts" the person was revived.

Hardin said about five people helped to grab the remaining children out of the Ford Explorer to make sure they were safe. Hardin said he pulled a young girl buckled in and a baby from its car seat out of the vehicle.

"We were just praying for little dude in the middle of the street," Hardin said. "I pray and hope to God he's all right."

Hardin said a woman believed to be the children's mother got out of the vehicle hysterical and was praying in Spanish. Another man came to the scene to help translate between the woman and volunteers.

"We were just trying to calm her down and tell her to tell the kids not to move so that if they were injured, they didn't hurt anything else," Hardin said. "Her son could speak good English, but all he kept saying was, 'Is my family OK?'"

Hardin said the man in the Dodge Hellcat then approached with blood on his face half fainting.

"He goes to the mother and the child that was in the middle of the street," Hardin said. "He was trying to apologize and everything praying and crying, but he was bleeding and injured himself."

"I have kids myself," Hardin said. "That could have been my family in that car. I was just about to pull out. That could have been my little son. So, I'm praying for them. When stuff like this happens we're supposed to help each other and have each other's back."

Late Tuesday police announced the driver of the Dodge would face charges, including operating a vehicle while intoxicated.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Police investigate crash just east of downtown Indianapolis