HOBART, Ind. — An officer’s squad car was nearly totaled in a crash less than a half hour into his first day on the city police force.

Officer Tim Pochron was inside his house early Monday when someone smashed into his new squad car parked outside.

“Pochron was 29 minutes into the first day of his new job when his parked squad car was struck,” Hobart police Lt. Steve Houck said.

A Crown Point man had driven his car into a tree and Pochron’s car, police said. The man tested positive for drugs, was arrested and taken to a hospital.

The force of the collision bent the rear axle of the squad car.

Pochron, 26, was sworn in last week. He was to start his first day Monday on the morning shift. He previously worked as a police officer in the neighboring Lake County city of Lake Station.

Pochron spent most of the morning filling out paperwork at the station. Deputy Chief Jeff White said Pochron’s squad car can be repaired, but he’s not sure how much it will cost.