Bethel Township Fire Department and Ohio State Patrol troopers were sent to the 8200 block of W. National Rd. shortly after 7:00 on Wednesday morning for what was dispatched as a van into a tree with no one around.

The van was eastbound on Rt. 40, went off the right side of the road just past Snider Rd., traveled through the grass for about 500 feet striking trees, various posts and a trash can before coming to rest sideways against another small tree.

The driver of the van was nowhere to be found.

A resident reported hearing something around 5:20 on Tuesday evening, looked outside but didn’t see anything. The van would have been hidden from his view by trees.

Calls to 911 started coming in as daylight arrived on Wednesday.

“He’s lucky to be alive,” said Trooper Hodge with the Ohio State Patrol. “We found the registration and his wallet. He won’t be hard to track down.”