Barrington teens involved in hit and run on highway - ABC6 - Providence, RI and New Bedford, MA News, Weather

Barrington teens involved in hit and run on highway

By Abbey Niezgoda

aniezgoda@abc6.com

A shopping trip turned terrifying for two teenagers from Barrington. They were driving back from Emerald Square Mall, when a driver started flipping them the bird and then ran into them before speeding off.

Chelsea Bonniol tallied up the damage on her Honda civic, after what she describes as a hit and run.

"This part is scratched," Bonniol said. "There's a few dents on the tail light."

 The 19-year-old says a man in his 50s pulled up beside her and her sister as they were leaving the mall and started making obscene gestures.

"I didn't want look at him because I didn't want to start anything," Bonniol said. "So I just kept driving, and I guess he was mad that he didn't get our attention so he just ran into my car."

 Bonniol pulled over to the side of I-95 and called 911. She ended up talking to the Massachusetts State Police who asked if she wrote done a license plate. When she said no, they said sorry.  

"I was just surprised nothing could be done, because it wasn't my fault and he doesn't know if he could have hurt us," Bonniol said.

 Her father is equally as upset.

"We train our kids to call 911 in an emergency, but we don't tell them what to do if they don't show," Steve Bonniol said.

Her father says he's not so much angry at the police as he is that the driver is still out there.

"It's not a hit and run, it's assault with a deadly weapon," Steve Bonniol said. "It's an automobile, that's 2000 pounds of weight, and he's trying to hurt my girls. Someone needs to find him and bring him to justice."

We tried reaching out to the Massachusetts State Police for this story. So far, our calls have not been returned.