A driver in South Carolina plowed through the security fences at a nuclear power plant with a 2002 Toyota Camry, ABC News reports. Thankfully, the sedan didn’t make it all the way to the reactor and start a Three Mile Island 45th anniversary accident a year early. The driver was able to escape without being apprehended by power station security and is still sought after by law enforcement authorities.
The incident happened at Oconee Nuclear Station yesterday, about 33 miles west of Greenville, South Carolina. The Federal Bureau of Investigation is aware of the perimeter breach but has deferred to the local sheriff’s office to distribute information about the case. The press release from the Oconee County Sheriff’s Office raises more questions than answers.
The E-911/Communications Center received a call from the Nuclear Station around 8:05pm tonight and dispatched Deputies to the scene. According to information obtained by Deputies from the Uniform Patrol Bureau, a white male driving a silver 2002 Toyota Camry drove through the exit side of the gate on the Highway 183 side of the facility.
After the vehicle struck the pop-up barricades that security at the plant activated, the driver backed the vehicle up and proceeded down a dirt road, where Duke Energy security blocked the vehicle in, according to Deputies. The driver then drove through a fence after attempting to hit the security officers.
According to Deputies, the driver then drove out of the exit of the plant, where he attempted to hit a security truck with a guard in it. After driving back onto Highway 183, the driver then drove into Pickens County and pulled onto some property on Jones Mill Road, where shots were fired.
At this time, the source of the shots fired in the Jones Mill Road area is unknown.
The driver had shown up at the plant in the same vehicle earlier that day and was turned away. It’s not known why he wanted to access the nuclear plant. Authorities are still looking for the silver 2002 Toyota Camry with an Arkansas license plate 380VDR. It’s safe to assume that anyone who wants to break into a nuclear power plant might be dangerous.