FARMINGDALE, New York (WABC) -- An out-of-control SUV crashed through a Farmingdale Chinese restaurant for the second time in a little more than a year.
Farmingdale police say a 57-year-old woman lost control of an SUV, hit two parked cars, and then crashed into the Great Wall Chinese Restaurant, as the SUV exploded into a ball of flames.
It happened around 11:30 p.m. Monday in a strip mall on Broadway and Boundary Avenue while the restaurant was closed.
There was a 30-year-old man sitting in a Mustang outside the restaurant injured in the crash. He and the 57-year-old SUV driver were taken to a local hospital for treatment.
The family who has owned the restaurant for 30 years said it is their American dream, and they are left once again without a source of income as they rebuild.
Back on January 26, 2024, a suspected drunk driver hit a parked car and the impact sent both vehicles into the same Chinese restaurant.
No one was seriously hurt, but it took months for the restaurant to reopen after the first crash. Owner Kevin Chen said his parents were left traumatized.
"They were at the front by the actual windows, kind of just like eating dinner and decompressing, but they got an order so they got up like two minutes before the drunk driver crashed through, otherwise they would not be here today," Chen said.
Chen said he has been pushing his parents to retire. For nearly 30 years, they have worked 12-hour days seven days a week.
But he says his parents are determined to rebuild again.
"They've devoted their entire lives to this restaurant, working non-stop and just when we thought we moved forward from the last tragedy, we're hit with this all over again, so it seems like our livelihoods are destroyed once again," Chen said.
Meanwhile, residents say it has also happened several times before Chen's family opened up.
"Quite a few years ago there was a deli right here, they got hit twice, that's why they're no longer here," resident Marty Higgins said.
Chen and his parents are worried it will happen again. After last time, they had barriers installed, but Chen said they will ask the town for traffic cameras or additional barriers.
Residents say the problem with the shopping plaza is that it's located at the end of North Broadway and they say cars often come speeding down the hill.
The restaurant posted the following statement on social media:
"This is an incredibly difficult time for our family - one year after our first accident, our restaurant was crashed into again last night. We are safe but will have to close to rebuild once again."
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