Car Hits House, Driver Arrested

A man who allegedly crashed his car into a house while driving drunk was behind bars today.

Matthew Duane Hlavnicka, 22, was arrested on suspicion of felony drunken driving and injuring his passenger, according to jail records.

Hlavnicka was driving east on Rhine Avenue in Temecula at 9:25 p.m. Monday when he allegedly lost control and drove his car through three trees, a metal fence, down an embankment, landing in the backyard of a home in the 33000 block of Decada Street, according to a sheriff's official.

"They were going too fast, bounced off the curb, took out three trees, hit a wall… and landed up against the house," said sheriff's Sgt. John Magnan.

The impact sent bricks flying through the home's glass door and several windows, including a bedroom in the top story, he said.

The impact threw one of the two people in the car onto the ground, and both of them were treated at a hospital and released on Monday night.

"They had a few scratches, a little road rash… but from the look of (the crash scene), you'd think it would have been worse," the sergeant said.

The passenger was not identified, and he was not arrested. Nobody else was hurt.

Hlavnicka posted a message implying he was playing a drinking game a few hours before the crash.

"Andrew Temple is about to get served in beer pong," he posted on his Facebook page.

Another message he posted at 1 p.m. Monday proved to be prophetic. "This weekend is gonna be crazy," he wrote.

The homeowner, Elena Joa, and her father were in the house when the crash happened.

"The house shook, it sounded like an explosion," Joa said.

Her father had been in the backyard to smoke and take the dogs out five minutes before the crash, she said.

She was about to fall asleep when she heard the sound of an engine getting louder.

"It sounds like somebody drag racing, just picking up speed and picking up speed," she said.

UPDATE: This story was updated at 11:32 p.m. with information on Hlavnicka's Facebook page and about what the home's inhabitants saw.