UNION, NJ — Shoppers got a wake-up call on the morning of Saturday, May 6, when a driver decided to make a new drive-through lane — through the front windows of a store in the Union Plaza Shopping Center.
“I was waiting in line at ShopRite and I saw this gray late-model Lexus whipping through the parking lot,” said Frank Capece, an attorney at Garrubbo & Capece in Union, in an interview with LocalSource on Monday, May 8. The store is located in the Union Plaza Shopping Center at the intersection of Route 22 W and Springfield Road in Union.
“lt was going so fast and I wondered how it would be able to make a left turn,” he continued. “Well, I didn’t have to worry, because it crashed right into the Foot Locker next door.”
Union’s police, fire and first responders were quick to respond to the crash site.
‘The police were there in less than five minutes, as were the first responders,” Capece said. “It was extraordinary.”
The damage to Foot Locker proved far less than expected.
“The lady just crashed into the store,” said the Foot Locker’s assistant manager, who asked not to be named, in an interview with LocalSource on Monday, May 8. “She got out of the car and said she didn’t know what happened. There was not a lot of damage; just the windows.”
He said he was off that day.
“No customers were here, as it happened at noon on Saturday,” he added.
Next door at the ShopRite, many patrons wanted to rush out to get a better look at what had happened, but the supermarket manager would have none of that.
“The manager of the ShopRite said don’t let anybody leave without paying,” Capece said with a laugh.
“They sealed off the area,” he continued, referring to the sportswear and footwear retailer. “Today, I looked and they boarded everything up. It took out the whole front entrance. It was like watching a movie.”
Despite the damage, Foot Locker was quick to open again, as soon as it was safe to let people back into the store.
“(The car) knocked down a pole outside,” said the store’s assistant manager, referring to one of the several parking bollard pole barriers outside of the Foot Locker. “The store has been boarded up but, since there is no structural damage, the Fire Department said we can open it up again.”
Although it could have been much worse, the quick arrival of police officers, firefighters and first responders put many people at ease.
“You have to tip your hat to the local police and first responders. There were a lot of fire trucks there and also ambulances,” Capece said.
“The cops cordoned off the area,” he added. “You can’t say anything but positive things about the first responders.”
LocalSource reached out to the Union Township Police Department several times but did not receive a response.
Photo Courtesy of Gabriel Andrade