NEW YORK (JTA) — Fourteen people, including six children, were injured Thursday when a car crashed into a storefront in Woodmere, N.Y., where a Chanukah celebration was taking place.
Nassau County police say that a driver lost control of his car, crashing through the building’s windows and knocking people over inside, according to The Associated Press. Police have not yet released the name of the driver, but Newsday reported that the car was registered to Theodore Saretsky, 76, a psychologist with no record of accidents or violations. No charges had been filed as of Friday morning.
The A.P. reported that four people, including two of the children, were hospitalized in serious condition, and an 8-year-old and 4-year-old are in stable condition. Between 100 and 150 people were attending the party, sponsored by Chabad of Five Towns
It took about 30 people to lift the BMW sport utility vehicle off a man who was trapped under the front tire, Newsday reported, quoting Leo Shalamoff, owner of Pizza Pious, a kosher restaurant across the street.
"We saw the man under the car. It was terrible. It was difficult. There was maybe 30 men picking up the car but suddenly we did it. We pulled him out and helped him to the ambulance," Shalamoff was quoted as saying. "There was blood all over."
