Authorities have charged a 28-year-old Indiana man, Chance A. Tressler, with several offenses after a carjacking incident in which he allegedly ran over a woman twice with her own vehicle.
Tressler, who was reportedly under the influence of methamphetamine and Xanax at the time, told police he didn’t remember the events of that night.
The incident occurred on the evening of October 9, in Anderson, Indiana, approximately 40 miles northeast of Indianapolis after a woman had left her GMC Acadia unlocked outside a gas station on North Scatterfield Road.
Tressler allegedly abandoned a stolen Chrysler 200 at the scene, jumped into the woman’s Acadia, and attempted to drive away. The victim according to reports, tried to stop him by holding onto the driver’s side door handle, but Tressler reversed the vehicle, running her over. He then drove forward, running over her again before fleeing the scene.
As Tressler drove away in the stolen SUV, he allegedly ran a red light and collided with another vehicle, the crash left the other driver, a woman, with a broken leg, and she was taken to the hospital for treatment. The series of chaotic events only came to an end when authorities tracked Tressler down after an overnight search.
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Police were able to trace the stolen Chrysler back to its owner, who informed them that Tressler had likely stolen the vehicle. The owner told the investigators “had a pretty good idea who stole it,” saying it was a man named “Chance” who worked for him and had stayed at his house overnight, WXIN reported.
When authorities eventually found Tressler, he admitted to being high on methamphetamine and Xanax, adding that he had stopped taking his medication for schizophrenia. He also claimed he had borrowed his boss’s car and got lost, later stopping at a gas station to ask for directions and buy a drink, Tressler said he then mistakenly drove off in another vehicle—the woman’s GMC Acadia.
He reportedly told police that he thought he had hit a curb when leaving the gas station, as he remembered being in a crash and then having a panic attack according to court documents, Tressler stated, “I sat down somewhere and then woke up in a bean field.”
Tressler is currently being held in Madison County Jail on a $50,000 bond. He faces charges of robbery, battery, auto theft, and leaving the scene of an accident, among others. His actions left one woman with serious injuries, including swelling and bruising, and another with a broken leg after the crash.
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