Car carrying multiple children crashes into Bed-Stuy coffee shop
Surveillance video captured bystanders rushing to help pull the children from the vehicle after it caught fire.
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A crash in Bed-Stuy sent five people to the hospital Thursday after an SUV carrying several children slammed into a coffee shop.
Police said the crash happened just before 6 p.m. at the intersection of Nostrand Avenue and Quincy Street, where an 81-year-old man driving a white Dodge SUV rear-ended a Honda CR-V before losing control and crashing into Ginjan Café.
Witnesses described hearing a loud impact as the SUV barreled into the storefront.
Inside the Dodge were a 37-year-old woman and four children ranging in age from 3 to 9 years old.
Surveillance video captured bystanders rushing to help pull the children from the vehicle after it caught fire.
Two children, a 5-year-old boy and a 12-year-old girl, were also inside the Honda CR-V that was struck.
Five people were transported to the hospital in stable condition and are expected to recover.
The crash caused significant damage inside Ginjan Café, leaving broken glass and debris scattered throughout the business.
"It broke the table in half, and it went flying all the way to the back," said co-owner Mohammed Diallo.
Diallo said the café had closed only a few minutes before the crash, and no customers or employees were inside at the time.
"If anyone was in here, it could've been fatal," he said.
The incident comes amid a string of similar crashes across Brooklyn.
In the past two weeks alone, four vehicles have crashed into buildings boroughwide, including two in Bed-Stuy.
The incidents have renewed calls from residents and business owners for additional street safety measures such as barriers and speed bumps.
Council Member Chi Ossé has also called on the NYC Department of Transportation to examine the issue and explore possible safety improvements.
"Something needs to be done. We cannot wait for things to change on their own," Diallo said.
Family members of the mother and two children who were inside the Honda CR-V told News 12 they are shaken and traumatized by the crash.
Police have not yet determined what caused the 81-year-old driver to lose control of the SUV.
