Anne Heche's hospitalization after a car crash divides social media

Updated August 7, 2022 at 12:09 PM ET

Supporters and detractors of Anne Heche took to Twitter to respond to media reports about the Emmy-award-winning, 53-year-old actress' hospitalization following a car accident Friday in a residential neighborhood of Los Angeles.

TMZ broke the story, stating the actress was speeding in her blue Mini Cooper when she crashed into two homes, one after the other, causing the second one to erupt in flames. "Anne apparently suffered severe burns in the fire," TMZ reported. "We're told she's currently in the hospital intubated but expected to live."

Heche's friend and podcast co-host Heather Duffy Boylston said she is in stable condition.

"Her family and friends ask for your thoughts and prayers and to respect her privacy during this difficult time," Duffy said.

Fellow actress Rosanna Arquette called the incident "really tragic" and asked for people to "pray" for Heche, who is best known for her roles in 1990s films like the Gus Van Sant remake of Psycho and Donnie Brasco, in which she starred opposite Johnny Depp.

Writer Steve Huff empathized with Heche, calling to attention the actress' long and open struggle with mental health issues.

Twitter user Rich Keith echoed the sentiments of many who weighed in on the social media platform in expressing sympathy not for Heche but rather for the homeowner whose house caught on fire as a result of the accident.

Neither the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) nor the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) was willing to identify the person or persons involved in the accident. "We don't release victims' names," an LAPD spokesperson told NPR.

But according to a fire department report about the second crash involving a fire, "59 Firefighters took 65 minutes to access, confine and fully extinguish the stubborn flames within the heavily damaged structure, and rescue one female adult found within the vehicle, who has been taken to an area hospital by LAFD Paramedics in critical condition. No other injuries were reported."

Heche's manager and agents have not responded to NPR's request for comment.

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