An SUV plowed through an outdoor dining structure and hit multiple vehicles in Manhattan on Saturday night – before its driver ditched the vehicle and limped away, witnesses said.
The red Nissan Murano crashed into two cars around 10:15 p.m. then came to a rest on 111th Street between Second and Third avenues after it crashed into a gray Honda CRV, and became wedged underneath the Honda, whose rear end dangled in the air, photos of the aftermath showed.
The unidentified driver plowed through coffee shop Dell’Aria’s dining structure, leaving glass strewn on the scene. The abandoned Nissan had 23 violations in the city, including 13 school zone speeding tickets and one ticket for running a red light, according to a site that tracks local traffic violations.
The events leading up to the crash weren’t clear and the NYPD was unable to confirm details Saturday but witnesses said the Nissan struck one car blocks away before it hit a Kia.
“Then he went ahead and hit us, trying to squeeze by,” Houston resident Jaffar Mascar, a passenger in the Kia, told The Post.
Mascar, 29, said the car was his aunt’s and he and his brother Stephon followed the driver on foot after the Kia got stuck. They were out celebrating Stephon’s 21st birthday, he added.
“He was coming down full speed doing probably 80 to 100 miles an hour,” Mascar said. He almost hit a heavy set woman. He almost hit her because he had a flat tire from hitting us.”
The driver then lost control and hit the Honda head on before he stumbled out.
“You could tell he was severely hurt. He tried to run away but then came back,” Mascar said. “You could tell once he realized how bad the situation was, he did take off one last time. The cops never got him.”
It wasn’t clear if anyone else sustained injuries in the incident.