'I wasn't really sure what I was seeing,' says Sudbury woman who saw teens throwing rocks that caused crash

Greater Sudbury Police are urging the group of teens who caused a serious crash by throwing rocks onto Maley Drive earlier this week to come forward.

Police said one of the rocks struck a motorcycle driver, causing the bike to slide into a ditch and sending the driver to hospital with serious injuries.

A dedicated tip line has been set up to receive information on the case as police assure the public that they are confident they will find those who were involved.

Calls about the incident began coming into 911 around 1:30 Wednesday afternoon when drivers reported seeing a group of young people on a rock cut throwing stones at the roadway.

“It appears as though there were in the neighborhood of four youths responsible who were on top of the rocks in the area throwing rocks down onto the highway," said Det. Staff Sgt. Barry Ornella.

Det. Staff Sgt. Barry Ornella said calls about the incident began coming into 911 around 1:30 Wednesday afternoon when drivers reported seeing a group of young people on a rock cut throwing stones at the roadway. (Photo from video)

"The description we received is that one of the youths was believed to have shoulder-length red hair (and) freckles, wearing a black hoodie and black pants. A second youth is described as wearing either a white or a gray hoodie.”

Brandy Bielaski said she saw the incident as she was travelling up Maley.

“First thing I noticed was a bunch of debris on the outside lane," Bielaski said.

Wasn't sure what she was seeing

"I wasn't really sure what I was seeing at the time until one of the vehicles ahead of me -- I saw a rock coming down and just barely missed it.”

The incident is gaining a lot of attention on social media with one woman writing, “I got hit from these rocks. I was driving there around that time with my baby in the car.”

Police confirmed Thursday that a man on a motorcycle was struck by a rock, lost control and ended up in the ditch. He is currently in hospital recovery from significant injuries.

“This was incredibly senseless and very dangerous," Ornella said.

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"It's had incredibly traumatic consequences for this individual. I plead to them -- as well as their parents or guardians -- to do the right thing, come forward and accept responsibility. We are treating this as a criminal investigation.”

Brandy Bielaski, who saw Wednesday's incident as she was travelling up Maley, said the first thing she noticed was a bunch of debris on the outside lane. (Photo from video)

“I'm feeling is anger (and) sadness for both the motorcycle driver and for these teenagers," Bielaski added.

"Because I don't know what is going on in their heads to have them do something like this.”

Ornella said those responsible for throwing the rocks and the subsequent crash could be facing charges of aggravated assault or mischief.

In the meantime, he is asking that any witnesses, persons with dash cam footage or information regarding the suspects call police. The tip line for this case is 705-675-9171, ext. 2320.