Man, 19, crashes into fire truck and flees the scene

A Ford Windstar van slammed into a Newport Beach Fire truck Tuesday morning, causing the engine moderate damage, officials said Thursday.

At about 1 a.m. Tuesday at Park and Marine avenues on Balboa Island, 19-year-old Newport Beach resident Kyle Saltsman allegedly drove the van into the front corner of the driver-side cab while making a right turn, fire department spokeswoman Jennifer Schulz said.

Saltsman ran away, and the three firefighters in the reserve engine were uninjured, Schulz said. Police found Saltsman seven streets west at Ruby and Park avenues, Newport Beach police said. He was arrested on suspicion of a misdemeanor DUI, police said.

The firefighters quickly extinguished a small blaze that started in the van after the crash, Schulz said. There were no passengers in the van, she said.

The Balboa Island fire engine was returning to the station after a call and was idling at the stop sign facing east on Park Avenue. The van was traveling down Marine Avenue quickly when the driver tried to turn right on Park Avenue, Schulz said.

— Joseph Serna