At least three people were injured when a flaming, freshly carjacked Toyota Scion smashed into the Cozy Corner Bar in Newark, N.J.
“It knocked my barmaid into — the through the wall, literally,” owner Paul Dietrich told WABC. “And then I guess when all the debris and everything came with her, that’s what hurt my customer that was sitting at the bar.”
Dietrich said a smoker standing outside the watering hole late Saturday night also injured after by the car that caught fire as it sped over a sidewalk.
“The girl standing outside smoking, it knocked her through the wall,” he said.
The alleged carjacker fled on foot after trashing the automobile stolen just a couple blocks from the 20-year-old bar it hit. Dietrich said this isn’t the first time a stolen vehicle has caused damage to property in the area.
News 12 said a female pedestrian is in critical condition at University Hospital because of the crash. A male pedestrian was reportedly treated for minor injuries. It’s unclear if they were associated with the bar.
The apartment units above Cozy Corner Bar were rendered uninhabitable for the time being. Police reportedly waited for power to be restored so they could view security view they hope will lead them to the carjacker.
