Police said eight people, including two children, were injured following a wild crash Friday morning on Manhattan’s East Side.
What You Need To Know
- Chain of events started around 8:30 Friday morning
- NYPD said the driver of a van struck a black Camry, which then hit the outdoor structure of Crave Fishbar along 2nd Avenue between E50 & E51 St.
- Police: debris from outdoor structure that was struck hit a 5-year-old and 7-year-old
- Eight people injured, none with life-threatening injuries
- Police sources said the driver of the van may have suffered a medical episode and is not expected to face any charges
Surveillance video provided by the restaurant Blank Slate shows the exact moment when debris from an outdoor dining structure nearly crashed into unsuspecting customers eating outside.
“That car hit the restaurant right there! He destroyed everything over there!” said Juan Carlos Qispe, a witness at the scene.
Police said the chain of events began around 8:30 Friday morning, when a van heading south on 2nd Avenue near East 50th Street struck a black Camry.
The Camry then crashed into the outdoor dining structure at Crave Fishbar, which had not yet opened for business.
According to police, some debris from the dining structure hit a five-year-old and a seven-year-old. They were rushed to a hospital, but their injuries were not life-threatening.
“When I come to the corner, I see two little kids,” said Qispe. “Two little kids were there, they were scared.”
Police told NY1 that the van continued down 2nd Avenue, but it didn’t get too much further, ending up on the sidewalk, hitting a fruit stand and three pedestrians just north of 49th Street.
The crash also took down a traffic signal pole, along with some scaffolding that the fire officials say is now secure.
Zach Israel, the owner of Blank Slate, the restaurant across the street from Crave Fishbar, shared surveillance video that showed his customers in harm’s way.
“I got the call 10 minutes after this happened,” said Israel. “Horrible thing. No one likes to see anyone get hurt. But hopefully people are ok. My staff’s ok. We had diners out here, they’re all ok. Just very scary.”
In total, police said eight people, including the drivers of the Camry and the van, were hurt, but none of those injuries are believed to be serious.
Police sources told NY1 that the driver of the van experienced a medical episode and was not expected to face any charges.
Those sources said that driver did not test positive for any influence of alcohol or drugs.
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