A car propelled by a driver who mistakenly hit the pedal instead of the brake barreled through the wall of a popular New Jersey pub Saturday, landing entirely inside amid piles of scattered bricks.
A photo posted by bar owner Omer Onal on the venue’s Facebook page showed a gaping hole in the brick wall from the outside, with the auto’s rear visible several feet inside the otherwise darkened pub.
The driver had pulled into the parking lot of the Edgewater Park pub around 3 p.m. and accidentally tapped the gas as he parked, Onal told NJ Advance Media. None of the 10 people inside were injured, he said.
“Due to unforeseen circumstances, we will be closed until further notice,” the pub cryptically notified customers on its Facebook page Saturday afternoon. “We apologize for any inconvenience and appreciate your patience.”
A slightly more detailed explanation followed a few hours later.
“Earlier today, a driver accidentally drove into our building,” the pub posted on its Facebook page at about 6 p.m. Saturday. “Thankfully, no one was injured and everyone is safe.”
Police told NJ Advance Media that those inside had been evacuated. One of those customers reacted in a Facebook post minutes afterward with, “CRAZY!! A truck just came through the 45th Street Pub while we were inside!!” In comments, the person added that the driver had been “pulled out and was being attended to.”
Updates on the investigation and the pub’s repair plans were not issued Sunday, and police did not identify the driver or describe the vehicle. Edgewater Park is about 20 miles southwest of Trenton, not far from New Jersey’s Delaware River border with Pennsylvania.
