Latest news with #CamMalette
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
The 35-pound rod that smashed a car in Portland did not fall from the sky, FAA says
May 2—The 35-pound piece of metal that crushed the rear window and hatch of a car in the Casco Bay Lines parking lot didn't fall from an airplane — it was launched from a nearby tugboat. Cam Malette, a 21-year-old deckhand for Casco Bay Lines, was notified by a co-worker around 10 p.m. Wednesday that the back window of his Volkswagen Jetta had been shattered and the rear door had been crumpled. He arrived in the nearly empty parking lot to find that a heavy metal rod about the length and thickness of his forearm had smashed into the rear hatch. Malette then called his cousin, a Portland police officer, and they theorized the rod could only do that much damage if it had fallen from the sky. They weren't too far off. It fell from the sky but from not an airplane. The piece of metal broke off a tugboat that was docked on the other side of the Maine State Pier, flew over the building, and landed on Malette's car, according to Malette and a spokesperson for the Federal Aviation Administration. The FAA determined it was part of a tie-down cleat on the boat. Malette said his boss called him while he was working this morning and told him one of the vessels at Portland Tugboat was missing a piece from its chocks, which matched the weathered, yellow-painted rod he found on his car. Malette theorized that the cleat became airborne after it snapped off while under pressure from a line on the tug. "It does seem more likely that would've been the culprit," Malette said. Copy the Story Link
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Yahoo
Pipe that damaged car in Maine may have fallen from airplane, police say
A piece of pipe that fell on a car parked in a Portland, Maine parking lot, damaging it, Wednesday may have fallen all the way from a passing airplane, authorities say. Cam Malette, a deckhand on a Casco Bay Lines ferry, told the Portland Press Herald that a coworker called him around 10 p.m. that night to tell him that the rear windshield of his Volkswagen Jetta, parked in the ferry line's lot on Commercial Street, had been shattered. When he arrived to see the damage, he found a 35-pound metal pipe that also crumpled the car's rear hatch. A police spokesperson told the Press Herald that based on the level of damage and the location of the parking lot in a common flight path for planes heading to nearby Portland International Jetport, it was likely that the object fell from a plane. '(The police) came to the consensus that they think the only way there possibly could have been that much damage is if it fell from the sky. And the whole time I was thinking: 'Well, how am I going to tell my dad that my car is destroyed by something that fell from the sky?'' Malette told WMTW-TV. He told the TV news station that he was still able to drive his car home, but needs to replace the windshield and bumper. 'If that hit someone, it would have been tragic. Thankfully, it just hit my car in the parking lot,' he said. Police told the Press Herald that the Federal Aviation Administration had been notified of the incident and was investigating. Trump's budget calls for $163B in cuts, hitting health care, education Jrue Holiday injury: Boston Celtics coach gives update before Knicks series Mass. Sens. Warren, Markey call for probe of Trump's call to strip Harvard's tax-exemption Boston Celtics battling unique challenge with Knicks in playoffs Boston city councilors demand answers after child killed by school bus
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
35-pound hunk of metal that damaged car in Portland may have fallen from plane
May 1—A 35-pound metal rod smashed into a vehicle in the Casco Bay Lines parking lot in Portland Wednesday night, and police believe it might have dropped from an airplane. Casco Bay Lines deckhand Cam Malette was working on a ferry when he got a call around 10 p.m. from a co-worker who told him the rear window of his Volkswagen Jetta had been shattered and was on the sidewalk in pieces, he said in an interview Thursday. "How could that possibly happen?" Malette recalled thinking. Then his second thought: "How am I going to tell my parents?" When the 21-year-old deckhand arrived in the parking lot near 56 Commercial St., which was empty except for two other vehicles, he found the car's rear window shattered and the rear hatch crumpled. That's when Malette saw the solid metal rod, which was as thick and long as his forearm. He then called his cousin, Portland police Lt. Zack Finley, to report the damage. The two determined that, "based on the damage and location," the piece of metal may have fallen from an airplane, said Portland police spokesperson Brad Nadeau. The area near the waterfront is in the flight path of some planes going to and from the Portland International Jetport just up the Fore River. The Federal Aviation Administration has been notified and is investigating the incident, Nadeau said. A spokesperson from the FAA did not respond to inquiries about the incident Thursday afternoon. Malette said he talked with some people from the FAA, but because he wasn't there to witness the incident, he can only guess what happened. Casco Bay Lines security cameras in that lot weren't working at the time the object crashed into his car, he said, but he and his cousin thought the only way it could have done so much damage was if it fell from the sky. All of the car's lights still worked, so Malette was able to drive the car home. But he has to replace the bumper and entire rear hatch. "I wanted to be upset, but I'm thankful it hit my car as opposed to someone walking," he said. Copy the Story Link We believe it's important to offer commenting on certain stories as a benefit to our readers. At its best, our comments sections can be a productive platform for readers to engage with our journalism, offer thoughts on coverage and issues, and drive conversation in a respectful, solutions-based way. It's a form of open discourse that can be useful to our community, public officials, journalists and others. We do not enable comments on everything — exceptions include most crime stories, and coverage involving personal tragedy or sensitive issues that invite personal attacks instead of thoughtful discussion. You can read more here about our commenting policy and terms of use. More information is also found on our FAQs. Show less
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
35-pound object may have fallen from plane onto car next to Portland waterfront
May 1—A 35-pound metal rod smashed into a vehicle in the Casco Bay Lines parking lot in Portland, and police believe it might have dropped from an airplane. While working on the ferries Wednesday night, Casco Bay Lines deckhand Cam Malette got a call around 10 p.m. from a coworker who told him the rear windshield of his Volkswagen Jetta was on the sidewalk, he said in an interview Thursday. "How could that possibly happen?" he recalled thinking. Then his second thought: "How am I going to tell my parents?" The 21-year-old deckhand arrived in the parking lot near 56 Commercial Street, which was empty except for two others vehicles, and found the car's rear window shattered and the rear hatch crumpled. That's when Malette saw the solid metal rod, which was thick and solid and the length of his forearm. He then called his cousin, Portland police Lieutenant Zack Finley, to report the damage. The two determined that, "based on the damage and location," the piece of metal may have fallen from an airplane, said Portland police spokesperson Brad Nadeau. The area near the waterfront is in the flight path of some planes going to and from the Portland Jetport just up the Fore River. The Federal Aviation Administration has been notified and is investigating the incident, Nadeau said. A spokesperson from the FAA did not respond to inquiries about the incident on Thursday afternoon. Malette said he talked with some people from the FAA, but because he wasn't there to witness the incident, he can only guess what happened. Casco Bay Lines security cameras in that lot weren't working at the time the object crashed into his car, he said, but he and his cousin thought the only way such it could do so much damage was if it came from the sky. All of the car's lights still work, so he said he was able to drive the car home safely. But he plans to replace the bumper and entire tailgate. "I wanted to be upset, but I'm thankful it hit my car as opposed to someone walking," Malette said. Copy the Story Link We believe it's important to offer commenting on certain stories as a benefit to our readers. At its best, our comments sections can be a productive platform for readers to engage with our journalism, offer thoughts on coverage and issues, and drive conversation in a respectful, solutions-based way. It's a form of open discourse that can be useful to our community, public officials, journalists and others. We do not enable comments on everything — exceptions include most crime stories, and coverage involving personal tragedy or sensitive issues that invite personal attacks instead of thoughtful discussion. You can read more here about our commenting policy and terms of use. More information is also found on our FAQs. Show less
