Porsche vs. Mercedes Street Race Ends in Crash

A Porsche vs. Mercedes-Benz street race sounds like a scene out of Fast and the Furious, but on May 4, that showdown was held right here in Greenfield on Layton Avenue.

And there were no real winners.

At approximately 2:45 p.m., police responded to a single-car accident in the 9800 block of West Layton Avenue after a resident there reported his mailbox and tree had been struck by a car, according to the Greenfield Police Department report.

About 150 feet away was severely damaged 2000 silver, four-door Mercedes. The driver, a 19-year-old Greenfield man, told police he and his passengers – the driver-s 19-year-old girlfriend and 14-year-old brother –were traveling west on West Layton Avenue and “suddenly lost control of the vehicle.” The driver told police his Mercedes went up a curb, struck a fire hydrant, mailbox and a tree in front of a home.

The driver told police a silver Porsche was next to him at the time of the accident, but assured police the Porsche did not swerve at him, it was not a road rage incident and the cars were not racing.

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A witness who was out walking his dog, however, told police something different. He said the two cars were in fact racing. He said at one point the Mercedes pulled ahead of the Porsche and then lost control. The witness estimated the cars were traveling between 60 and 70 mph.

The Mercedes’ driver received a ticket for reckless driving and operating a motor vehicle without proof of insurance. His younger brother suffered minor injuries.

Meanwhile, the driver of the 1998 Porsche Boxter convertible had fled the scene but was tracked down by Greenfield police a short time later on 68th Street.

The driver, a 22-year-old West Allis man, who was with his brother, denied racing or having any involvement in the crash. But he had two open warrants – one with Greenfield police and the other with the West Allis Police Department – and was taken into custody.

He was also issued a citation for racing on the highway.