Video: Impatient driver smashes two parked cars, takes off in Queens

WABC logo
Monday, July 29, 2019
Video: Impatient driver smashes two parked cars, takes off in Queens
CeFaan Kim reports on the vehicle collision in Elmhurst.

ELMHURST, Queens (WABC) -- An impatient driver caused quite a mess in Queens early Sunday after smashing into two parked cars while trying to go around another vehicle stopped in the streets.

It happened around 5 a.m. near Forley Street and Whitney Avenue in Elmhurst.

Surveillance video shows an SUV trying to squeeze through the narrow street where a double-parked ride share vehicle was dropping off passengers.

But instead of slowing down, the driver accelerated and slammed into the parked silver sedan on its right with so much force, it bumped that car into the one in front of it. The driver then took off.

"I'm just thinking, 'What in the world happened?' said Adelis Sanchez, owner of the silver sedan. "I'm thinking, 'Did this guy park and just backed up on my car? Because I knew I left a lot of space.'"

Sanchez thought it was just a terrible parking job, until she noticed the side of her car was damaged.

"Oh my God, yes," Sanchez said. "That's when I started panicking."

She was confused because at first she thought the driver of the car, who parked in front of hers, backed up onto her vehicle.

The driver said she left him a not-so-friendly note and even waited for him. He insisted it wasn't his fault.

They argued until they pulled the tape and realized what happened.

"Automatically, I felt horrible," Sanchez said. "My car actually hit him. He's a victim, too. When we saw what happened, it was like 'Oh my God, I cannot believe that and it was just the impact that car that hit my car.'"

The video doesn't show a license plate.

Sanchez says Uber told her if it was one of their drivers, they will cooperate with police to access the dashcam footage.

"If it was me, I'd leave my information" she said. "Because it's just the right thing to do. And I just hope that that person is watching."

Sanchez is also hoping other nearby cameras got a better look at that plate.

----------

* More Queens news

* Send us a news tip

* Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts