Staff reports 10:58 a.m.
Thursday, April 16, 2026 10:56 am
|
ROCHESTER - A Rochester teenager is facing multiple felony charges after he crashed into another vehicle while "drifting" in the Home Depot parking lot on Friday and then fled the scene before police arrived.
The incident unfolded around 8 p.m. when officers were dispatched to the parking lot for a motor vehicle hit-and-run after a caller reported that a car was "drifting" in the parking lot when it struck a parked vehicle causing significant damage to both.
"The suspect vehicle then left the area prior to police arriving," Rochester Police Capt. Jeremy Aucoin told The Rochester Voice today.
 |
| A car does some drifting in an undisclosed 7-11 parking lot (Courtesy photo) |
During an investigation it was learned that Jayden Matthew Ott, 18, of Rochester, had a juvenile passenger in the vehicle with him during the accident, which added an endangering the welfare of a child charge.
Aucoin said all parties were known to each other.
During the probe police said they found that Ott had called the victim requesting the charges be dropped, which led to another charge of witness tampering.
The dangerous stunt of "drifting" occurs when a driver causes the rear wheels to lose traction, making the car slide sideways while maintaining control, often forming "donuts."
Even when it is done on private property, it is still unlawful, because police consider it reckless driving.
In all Ott faces charges of felony criminal mischief and witness tampering as well as misdemeanors conduct after an accident, negligent driving and endangering the welfare of a child.
Class B felonies can carry up to a seven-year prison sentence.