Shaun Todd was sound asleep when he heard what he described as a loud bang.

“It sounded like a gunshot,” Todd said. “It woke me up. It really sounded like someone was shooting.”

The noise turned out to be a runaway minivan crashing into a house at 324 Liberty St. in Butler. According to police, bad brakes might have caused the minivan to plow into the home.

The driver suffered only minor injuries and no one in the house was hurt. Three people were home at the time of the crash. The home is being rented by Nancy Zurzolo and her children.

The accident about 10 a.m. also caused a natural gas leak, forcing nearby residents to leave their homes for precautionary reasons.

Police said Dennis John, 41, of Butler had just come from a visit to the post office on South Main Street, and he was on his way home when he lost control of his van downhill on Brush Street.

He told police he believed his GMC Safari experienced a mechanical problem, specifically the brakes.

“He said he tried to put (the van) in park and tried the emergency brake,” said police Capt. James Hollobaugh.

The van, however, did not stop.

The vehicle continued through the intersection at Liberty Street, first hitting the porch post at a vacant house and then the corner of the next-door house that was occupied.

Brad Zurzolo, 24, and his girlfriend, Stephanie Bonini, 25, also were home at the time of the crash.

“We heard it, came outside and called the police,” Zurzolo said.

John had minor injuries and refused medical treatment.

The Butler Fire Department helped police notify other residents of the leaking gas.

According to Bonini, the family would not be allowed back in the home for 24 hours following the leak. She said children typically play in the area where the crash occurred.

“Thank goodness it happened in the morning,” Bonini said.

A gas company crew arrived shortly after 11 a.m. and shut off the leak. The minivan had to be towed from the scene.

Hollobaugh said drugs or alcohol are not suspected factors in the crash.

He said a witness appeared to back up John’s account that brake failure might have caused the wreck.

According to deputy Police Chief David Adam, John initially fled the scene of the accident.

His license is suspended for DUI and he will be charged with hit and run and driving with a suspended license, police said.

The investigation continues, Hollobaugh said.

Eagle Staff Writer Jim Smith contributed to this report.