CLEVELAND, Ohio — Chase Watson said he had just left for work 10 minutes before a car crashed into his home on Cleveland's west side.
His girlfriend Lexus and their newborn daughter Cedella were at home when it happened, upstairs instead of in the living room where they typically are at that time of day.
"I had a cousin who passed away and this was actually his house, so I believe that our faith and him were looking over her, and I think he was the one that kind of nudged her to say hey maybe you shouldn't sleep in the living room today just go back up to the bed," Watson said.
The family is thankful to be alive after a police pursuit that started in Parma ended inside their Cleveland home Tuesday morning.
They only just moved into their house on Wetzel Avenue about a month and a half ago, and had spent the months before that in the NICU after Cedella was born three months early. They never guessed that weeks later their little girl would once again defy the odds, but their home would be destroyed.
"I've been grateful from the moment she was born, I was grateful the moment the doctor told us she's healthy, I was grateful when she came home and I'm still grateful," Watson said. "There's a lot of damage, but my family is intact and that's the biggest thing to me."
Police said a 17-year-old crashed the stolen Hyundai into the home after he lost control. He ran off from the scene, but was arrested nearby.
As the family is left to clean up the destruction left behind, Watson is hopeful that other teens stealing cars will look at this as a lesson.
"Somebody almost killed a family. It's time to take a look at who you're surrounding yourself with and ask yourself, 'Is this who I want to be? Is this who I want to grow up to be?' Because one decision can change your whole life," Watson said.
He said while he respects the hard work law enforcement does, he hopes they'll reconsider pursuits, especially in residential neighborhoods.
"I don't think we can do it anymore. That's where that same question arises, at what cost? How many people are you willing to hurt and damage in order to pursue somebody like this? I think its time to be a lot safer," Watson said.
Watson told 3News the home is uninhabitable and they are staying with family as they try to find a new house.
Their family has started a fundraiser to help them rebuild.