Case Continued: Naugatuck Man Accused of Woodbury Car Theft Resulting In Fiery Tanker Crash

SOUTHINGTON — A Naugatuck man accused of crashing a stolen vehicle into an oil-filled tanker along a main road in Southington appeared in court Tuesday, although his case was continued to April 30.

Brian K. Miele, 43, has since pleaded not guilty to multiple charges including first-degree larceny, driving under the influence, reckless driving and interfering with an officer after state police said .

The pursuit ended when Miele collided with a tanker truck that was making a turn onto Route 322, also known as the Meriden-Waterbury Turnpike. The and, within minutes, was fully engulfed in flames.

See the video of the tanker fire that was published on The Record Journal newspaper’s website.

This prompted a shutdown of the road from travel, although no one was injured in the ordeal.

Miele, who was caught on the police car camera trying to run from the scene, had to be subdued after resisting the officer's orders to stop, court files said. The officer used a spray to halt his vision and both the officer and some nearby good Samaritans helped in pinning Miele down, court documentation showed.

The court records state Miele was “slurring his speech” and was “belligerent and uncooperative.”

Miele remains incarcerated on a $150,000 bond. He also has a number of other charges pending out of Waterbury Superior Court.