Old Towne Orange features vintage shops and Victorian houses clustered around a grand town square and an 88-year-old landmark fountain used frequently as a film backdrop. Speeding vehicles have repeatedly plowed through Plaza Park, destroying grassy expanses, rosebushes and wood benches while striking the fountain. Residents call the plaza the jewel of Orange and express growing concern about its safety and treatment. Crashes have increased in recent years, including four incidents in 2023 (one DUI-related) and another incident in 2024. A recent early-morning crash at a roundabout left the driver arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence.
Time and time again, speeding cars have plowed through Plaza Park's grassy expanses and vibrant rosebushes, demolishing wood benches and slamming into the beloved 88-year-old fountain. "The whole plaza - people consider that the jewel of Orange," said Jeff Frankel a resident of the Old Towne neighborhood in the Orange County city. "Now is it treated that way? Sometimes I don't think so."
Just after 2:20 a.m., a driver failed to navigate the turn at the roundabout where Glassell Street meets Chapman Avenue and plowed through bushes and barriers surrounding the water feature before scraping the tile on the fountain. The motorist, who was on probation from a prior DUI charge, was not injured but was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence, said Orange Police Lt. Phil McMullin.
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