Officials: Car thief crashes into Newark bar, injuring 2 people
Authorities say the car was carjacked at South 12th Street and 15th Avenue before the crash.
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Police in Newark are searching for the suspect wanted for a Saturday carjacking. That person is responsible for injuring two and severely damaging a bar and apartment building along South Orange Avenue.
Police say the driver of that stolen car was speeding along South Orange Avenue when he plowed into the front of the bar at 12th Avenue. Major repairs were being made to the building on Monday. The front wall was destroyed in the crash and is being rebuilt, while the facade is propped up with steel poles.
Leon Elmore lives in an apartment on the second floor. He says he was across the street when he heard the speeding car crash.
“I was parked right there by the church. Sitting getting ready to get out of the car…He was doing at least 60 [mph]” Elmore said. “He just turned right into the bar. The car spun around, knocked the barmaid through the wall and the car caught on fire…It’s not a solid wall, which was a blessing because it would have crushed her.”
Police say the woman hurt inside the bar was taken to University Hospital with critical injuries. A male victim suffered injuries that were not life-threatening.
Elmore and other tenants won’t be allowed back to their homes until the building is secure. The building’s owner says it’s unlikely tenants in the four apartments will get in on Monday. The owner says the electricity also needs to be reworked and the city still has to sign off on whether or not the building is safe.
