LAVALLETTE — A sports utility vehicle smashed into the front of a shop on Route 35 North on Saturday evening, but no major injuries were reported, police said.
“On Saturday, (May 24) at approximately 7 p.m., the Lavallette Police Department responded to a call for a vehicle striking a building at 701 Grand Central Ave., the Bow + Arrow Boutique,” said Police Chief Christian LaCicero in a statement to The Ocean Star. The shop, a clothing, shoes and home goods boutique, closes at 5 p.m. on Saturdays, according to its website.
“Responding officers discovered a 2020 Hyundai Sante Fe had accidentally been driven into the building by an 87-year-old Manchester man while attempting to park,” the statement said. “The Lavallette Fire Department, under the command of Chief Michael Hajisafari, responded to the scene and determined that structural damage to the building required the response of the Toms River Fire Department Technical Rescue Taskforce to shore up the building.”
“Following temporary shoring work performed by the task force, a Lavallette construction official responded and deemed the building unsafe, resulting in the temporary evacuation of the building, as well as the apartment above,” said police. “There were no major injuries reported.”
A post to Bow + Arrow Boutique’s Facebook page referenced the accident and said they are “quickly completing the necessary repairs to resume normal business operations as soon as possible.”
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