Over 100 firefighters responded to multiple reports of a collapsed building in Brooklyn, New York’s Midwood neighborhood late Monday night. The cause of the collapse, however, wasn’t from a structural deficiency or a fire—rather, surveillance video and a follow-up investigation revealed that the building collapsed after a vehicle slammed into it at an incredibly high rate of speed.
At around 11:30 p.m. local time, an out-of-control BMW crashed into the two-story building located at the corner of East 5th Street and Avenue P. The crash was so intense that it dislodged a number of vertical supports for the second floor, causing the entire structure to cave in.
The building consisted of commercial space on the first floor, with private apartments above. Luckily, neither were occupied at the time and tenants in the adjacent apartments were uninjured. The Fire Department of New York reported via Twitter that the driver was admitted to a nearby hospital for a non-life-threatening injury.
After colliding with the building, the vehicle’s driver apparently tried to flee the scene.
“Moments later, the man climbed out of the rubble and allegedly tried to run away from the scene, but was apprehended by neighborhood patrol members until police took him in custody,” witnesses told PIX11.
Neighborhood watch members were able to locate and arrest the 20-year-old driver afterward before police arrived at the scene. He is currently in custody for being suspected of driving under the influence. The driver is also facing charges for leaving the scene of an accident.