David Stumpf of Monroeville had just placed his drink order Saturday night at the Brewery at Luciano’s when “the wall behind us just exploded.”
After nearly two years of waiting out covid-19 restrictions, the new restaurant hadn’t even been open a week when a vehicle struck the building Saturday night.
Monroeville police said a car struck the restaurant — opened at the location of the former Rivertowne Pour House — about 8 p.m.
Police said no one was injured, and a staff member said late Sunday morning that the restaurant was preparing to open for the day.
“I turned around and saw the drywall throwing dust up into the air,” Stumpf said. “We went outside, and my brother helped someone else check on the driver.”
Owner Dan Pasquarelli said no one was injured, and the restaurant is able to continue serving customers.
It is the third time since Wednesday that a vehicle has been driven into a building in the region. Earlier this week, a pickup got into a crash and hit the front of the Small World Daycare on Route 66 in Washington Township. Late Friday, a driver drove into the side of the Oakmont Bakery.
Stumpf, who is an architect by trade, said it didn’t appear as though the building had been damaged in a critical way.
“But I’m honestly surprised they’re still open,” he said.
