Truck Crashes Into Bagel Shop In Forest Hills, Queens; 6 Injured
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) - Six people, including an infant, were injured when a box truck smashed into a bagel shop in Forest Hills, Queens Wednesday morning.
The incident took place at around 10 a.m. at 76th Road and Queens Boulevard.
Images from the scene showed the truck almost entirely inside the "Bagels for You" shop.
Five adults and one child were treated after the accident. One woman suffered a broken arm, CBS 2's Hazel Sanchez reported.
None of the injuries were deemed life-threatening, 1010 WINS' Al Jones reported.
"The truck sideswiped a car that was parked in front of Forest Park Chapel, put the car right on the sidewalk, and then he continued another half a block straight into the front of the bagel store," said witness Frank Ackerman. "That was it. No brakes. There was no other traffic there, so I don't know what happened."
Through the open side of the bagel shop you could see a smashed refrigerator case, bagels and pastries strewn on the floor covered in glass and debris, WCBS 880's Marla Diamond reported.
Alex was working behind the counter of Bagels for You when the crash happened.
"I just saw the big explosion. (Diamond: Customers were hit by the truck?) Yea, the customers who were sitting at the tables," he said.
"I felt the impact. I felt, like, the whole building shook, and I was on the other side of the building," witness Bill Nelly said. "I'd like to know what that guy was thinking, to be honest with you, because there was no brakes. It just went right through the building."
"Sound was just like a bomb blasting or something. It was a really big sound and the building was shaking a little bit," one man who was at a nearby newsstand told Jones.
The driver of the truck was unharmed and remained on the scene, Sanchez reported.
One man who was sitting at a bus stop right outside the bagel shop says he is convinced the truck driver, after hitting a car, intended to crash into the building.
"He was rolling very, very slowly-- at the most, 5 miles per hour. He then drove up on the curb and gunned it. Aimed right towards it. We were right there," he told CBS 2.
As Sanchez reported, there are no skid marks at the scene, but police say so far, they don't suspect any criminality and the driver does not face any charges.
Crews must clean up the shop so inspectors can get a closer look inside to ensure the building is structurally sound.
At least three businesses were temporarily vacated until the area is clear of any electrical or gas problems.
You may also be interested in these stories: