Four people are dead and nine are injured after a minivan drove through a Long Island nail salon Friday afternoon, Dominic Albanese of the Deer Park Fire Department said in a news conference.
“It appears a motorist drove through the building, all the way through the building and we don’t know the cause at this time,” Albanese said.
Reporters pressed Albanese for more information about how the crash occurred and if the car was out of control.
“It’s under investigation, we’re not sure,” Albanese said.
The four dead were in the salon when the crash happened, he said. The driver of the minivan, who was partially conscious when first responders arrived on the scene, was taken to a hospital, he said. It’s unclear if anybody other than the driver was in the minivan at the time of the crash, he added.
The nail salon is one of five stores in a small shopping area in Deer Park, Long Island. A series of parking spots face the storefronts, just beyond the sidewalk.
Some 150 firefighters and EMS officials were on scene to handle the incident, Albanese said.
“This is very difficult for all the firefighters and EMS personnel on scene and we’ll be meeting with the crisis team this evening, for anybody that needs it, for all departments involved,” Albanese told reporters.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
