Man in SC accused of driving through Oconee Nuclear Station security fences, search underway

Deputies in South Carolina are looking for a man accused of breaching security fences at the Oconee Nuclear Station.

Oconee County Sheriff’s Office said they received a call around 8:05 p.m. Thursday after learning a man driving a silver 2002 Toyota Camry drove through the exit side of the gate on the Highway 183 side of the plant. 

“After the vehicle struck the pop-up barricades that security at the plant activated, the driver backed the vehicle up and proceeded down a dirt road, where Duke Energy security blocked the vehicle in, according to deputies. The driver then drove through a fence after attempting to hit the security officers,” a press release states.

Deputies said while the suspect was attempting to exit the facility, he once again attempted to hit a security truck with a guard in it.

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The suspect then allegedly drove back onto Highway 183 into Pickens County and pulled onto some property on Jones Mill Road. Shots were fired, but investigators do not know the source of the shots fired.

The suspect’s car has an Arkansas license plate reading 380VDR. The same vehicle and driver were reportedly on the property of Oconoo Nuclear Station one hour prior to the incident, when he was asked to leave and drove off. 

“Duke Energy has comprehensive security plans and a well-trained security workforce in place. A vehicle entered an administrative gate, but was not able to access the plant due to our multiple layers of security. No one was injured,” Oconee Nuclear Station operator Duke Energy said in a statement to Fox News Digital.

The plant is operating safely, it added.

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The utility company says on its website that Oconee Nuclear Station is one of the nation’s largest nuclear plants with three nuclear reactors. The facility began operating in 1973 and has generated more than 500 million megawatt hours of electricity. 

Anyone with information about the whereabouts of the driver or vehicle are asked to call 911 immediately.