Surveillance video shows van jump curb, slam into laundromat on Staten Island
MARINER'S HARBOR, Staten Island (WABC) -- New surveillance video is showing the moments of chaos leading up to and after a van crashed through a laundromat on Staten Island this week.
The 65-year-old van driver who crashed into the laundromat is in critical condition and six others were injured.
The other victims, who ranged in age from 1 to 79, were all said to be stable. They were a mix of pedestrians on the street, passengers in vehicles and customers inside the laundromat.
The crash happened just before 7 p.m. Tuesday at 158 South Avenue in Mariner's Harbor.
Surveillance video obtained by Eyewitness News showed the van swerve into oncoming traffic and narrowly miss another car before jumping the curb and plowing into the laundromat.
Store owner Nagem Mohammed was one of many who desperately tried to help.
"One woman, she washed the clothes, and she have baby like 2-year-old and somebody took the baby and gave it to the police," Mohammed said.
Onlookers -- missed by a few feet -- watched in disbelief.
"It was kind of crazy, I don't know if she had a stroke or was trying to rush traffic, but it was just crazy," neighbor Jamya Reddick said.
The van took out a power line pole that crews spent the day fixing.
The Buildings Department has ordered the the building's owner to hire an engineer for further assessments and report its findings back to the department about necessary repairs.
Police are still trying to determine what exactly happened and the cause of the crash.
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