I Need to "Seymour" Words

Turns out, the crash on Old State Road wasn't the only accident. The writer of this local news story has crashed and burned, omitting a small, but essential, word.

Have you figured out what I'm driving at yet? No? I'll cut to the chase: To has hit the road in the first sentence of the second paragraph.

The police tried to stop a vehicle.

The writer tried to get by without using this preposition before a verb to indicate the infinitive.

Nice try.