Vehicle lunges through Redstone retail store
Published on May 14th, 2008
STONEHAM, MA - No one was injured on Tuesday after a Medford man launched a Toyota Corolla through the front facade of Marshall's department store at the busy Redstone Shopping Plaza.
According to police, Medford resident Peter Dinicola, 79, mistakenly thought that he had put his car in reverse while he was straightening out the vehicle in a parking space near the front of the department store.
The Toyota then lunged forward when the Medford man stepped on the accelerator, crossing the access road that runs around the perimeter of the shopping complex. The incident occurred at approximately 1:52 p.m. on Tuesday.
"From what we know, the gentleman pulled-up front and dropped off a passenger," explained Stoneham Police Lt. Jim McIntyre. "He was then pulling towards a spot and [the car] was not lined-up. He thought he had put it in reverse, but he had not."
The vehicle then jumped the front curb and slammed into a planter, before it smashed through a large picture window near the store's front entrance.
The entire front end of the Toyota plunged into the business. Investigators observed skid marks on the store's tiles, indicating that the tires were still spinning after it smashed through the building - the back-end of the car got caught on the window sill.
The driver has not been charged by police for his role in the incident, but the matter is still under investigation.
Local safety officials responding to the crash scene were stunned not only to find no one injured, but to find many Marshall's patrons apparently unfazed by the Toyota that had plowed through the building, leaving shattered glass and debris all over the floor.
"When we got there, people were still shopping," said Stoneham Police Lt. Jim McIntyre, who was surprised to see customers still waiting in check-out aisles and viewing the department store's merchandise.
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