MUSKEGON HEIGHTS, Mich. — MUSKEGON HEIGHTS, Mich. — A man is facing child abuse charges after allegedly passing out drunk in a car that caught fire with a child in the back seat.
The fire happened shortly after 2 a.m. on 7th Street near Sherman Boulevard. When troopers arrived, they found a car with flames coming out from underneath and thick smoke from inside.
Authorities say the driver was initially unresponsive but woke up when Michigan State Police troopers tried to pull him out of the vehicle and started resisting their efforts to get him out.
The troopers pulled the man out just before the engine compartment became fully engulfed in flames. Investigators say a 7-year-old tried to wake the driver up and got out of the car before they arrived.
Authorities say the man was highly intoxicated and passed out with his foot on the gas pedal, which likely caused the fire.
He was arrested on charges of operating while intoxicated, child endangerment, possession of crack cocaine and resisting police. The child was taken to his mother.
