Sports car plows into 11-year-old’s bedroom in Costa Mesa

An 11-year-old Costa Mesa girl got a rude awakening when an Audi sports car plowed into her bedroom, knocking her out of bed and pinning her down, according to authorities.

The car rolled over the front lawn before crashing into the house in the 1900 block of Meyer Place at about 11:50 p.m. Oct. 18, said Capt. Joe Noceti of the Costa Mesa Fire & Rescue Department.

Noceti said firefighters cut away part of the house before using large airbags and the Jaws of Life rescue tool to lift the vehicle and extricate the girl.

She was taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, Noceti said.

No one else was injured. The family dog also escaped unscathed, according to Noceti.

“Very lucky, very lucky ... we were very blessed in this case,” Noceti said.

Firefighters had to combine technical knowledge and creativity to rescue the girl, who was pinned under the vehicle, Noceti said.

“The guys did a phenomenal job,” he said. “This was one of those rescues where you go train for it in a very subtle environment and then there’s a lot of dynamics that are present at a real scene that make it more challenging.”

The house, in Costa Mesa’s Westside neighborhood, has been deemed uninhabitable because of damage caused by the crash, Noceti said.

Early Saturday, Costa Mesa police arrested Ruben Ochoa, 27, of Costa Mesa — identified as the Audi’s driver — on suspicion of felony driving under the influence.

He was released from Orange County Jail on Tuesday, records show, and no charges had been filed as of Thursday morning, according to the Orange County district attorney’s office.

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