Far Rockaway Man Counting His Blessings After Car Slams Into His Apartment; 'The Whole House Shook!'
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- A Queens man is grateful to be alive after a car slammed into his apartment.
But as CBS2's Aundrea Cline-Thomas reported Wednesday, the driver then ran away.
"I'm always in this house by myself, man. I lost a lot in here. I lost a lot," Rob Olin said.
The belongings Olin was able to salvage now fit in just a few bags.
This after a car came crashing into his apartment on Tuesday afternoon while he was getting ready for work, only stopping after getting lodged in his living room.
"I don't know, my whole ... everything shook. The whole house shook! The boom was so crazy it blew my door open and my door was locked," Olin said.
Witnesses said the black BMW was flying down Edgemere Avenue in Far Rockaway when the driver lost control at Beach 44th Street and slammed into the building on the corner.
A woman named Sarika lives on the second floor.
"I felt like I was in the twilight zone. That's how fast they go here. It's not the first accident that happened. It's just unfortunate that it ran into the house," Sarika said.
Police say the driver was 23-year-old Raekwon Winston. Officers said after the crash he climbed out of the car and removed the license plates, before running away.
"He went back into the apartment, literally took the license plate off and said he was going to jail. Something like that. People just started taking pictures of him," Sarika said.
Olin said he never got a glimpse of the driver.
"I jumped in my tub and stayed in my tub, stayed in my tub with my boxers on," Olin said.
It proved to be the safest place.
Now Olin said he thinks about the tragedy that could've been.
"What if I was sitting on my couch right here, man," Olin said.
It provides some comfort, as he's now forced to figure out how to start over.
All of the residents have to move out out of fear of the possible structural damage to the property.
The suspect, Winston, was arrested and is facing multiple charges, including reckless endangerment and leaving the scene of an accident.
