A New Jersey man is in custody after police said he attacked two semis with an axe Friday on Interstate 80 in Hammond.
Around 4:30 p.m., troopers were dispatched to the 1.9 mile-marker on I-80 eastbound in Hammond, near the Calumet Avenue overpass, for a report of a male subject attacking a semi-tractor with an axe, according to a release from Sgt. Glen Fifield, public information officer for the Indiana State Police, Lowell Post.
Police found a 2025 Freightliner tractor‑trailer parked on the inside shoulder. The driver said she saw a black 2011 Volkswagen with Illinois registration driving erratically, brake‑checking and cutting off other semis while traveling eastbound, according to the release.
She reported the car stopped in lane 2 directly in front of her, forcing her to brake to a complete stop. The victim said a white male exited the Volkswagen, not wearing shoes, appeared irate, and yelled incoherently.
She reported the male reversed his car, nearly striking her truck, then exited again brandishing a long‑handled axe with a leather blade cover. The male struck her grill, puncturing the radiator, and struck the driver‑side headlight. The victim told police the male began approaching her driver door; however, her large dog began barking loudly inside the cab, prompting the suspect to return to his vehicle and flee the scene.
Around 4:49 p.m., dispatch received a second 911 call reporting a similar incident near the 5.4 mile-marker on I‑80 eastbound, near the Cline Avenue overpass, according to the release.
The suspect reportedly stopped in the roadway and struck a second semi with the axe. The victim pulled over near Burr Street following the attack. The second victim told police that he saw the suspect vehicle traveling between lanes 2 and 3 at approximately 10 mph. The truck driver attempted to change lanes to avoid the suspect, but the Volkswagen swerved in front of him and came to a complete stop.
The second victim told police the male suspect exited the vehicle and struck the front of his 2023 Freightliner with the axe before fleeing, according to the release.
Trooper Jordin Rosillo subsequently saw the Volkswagen traveling eastbound on I‑80. She activated her emergency lights and sirens, and the vehicle accelerated from 16 mph to 60 mph, initiating a pursuit. The driver accelerated to 80 mph before Lake County Sheriff’s deputies boxed in the Volkswagen and brought it to a stop.
Police conducted a felony stop and detained the driver, according to the release.
Trooper Rosillo said the driver did not speak English and was uncooperative. He was identified as Ivan Savych, 29, from New Jersey; police did not provide a hometown. Police found a long‑handled axe with a leather cover inside the Volkswagen. Sheriff’s deputies transported Savych to the Lake County Jail for processing.
Savych has been charged with a felony count of resisting arrest using a vehicle, and two misdemeanor counts of criminal vandalism, according to online court records. He also was cited for driving with expired plates.