Driver Careens Into Bed-Stuy Restaurant, Injuring Two People and Himself

The driver of a Dodge Challenger sped onto the sidewalk and through the window of the Civil Service Cafe in Bed-Stuy this morning, injuring two bystanders and himself.

Police said the driver was sideswiped by another motorist and filed no charges. But a witness told Eater New York there was no second driver.

The Challenger driver, a 24-year-old man, was traveling south on Nostrand Avenue by Clifton Place. According to an NYPD spokesperson, the Challenger was sideswiped by a second driver in a black sedan who then fled the scene.

The Challenger careened off the street and through the storefront, injuring two people who had to be hospitalized. The driver was also injured. All three are expected to survive, police said. NYPD did not identify the driver or victims.

Immediately following the collision, the driver was overheard claiming he had been struck by another motorist, according to Fox News. But Eater New York quoted one witness who said there was no second vehicle involved.

The witness, Mohammed Nagi, said the driver was speeding just before the collision. “He was saying another car hit him, but no car hit him at all,” Nagi told Eater.

The collision occurred within the boundaries of NYPD’s 79th Precinct and in the City Council district represented by Robert Cornegy.