Car Crashes into Fresh Fanatic Supermarket

The front doors of Fresh Fanatic Supermarket on Washington Avenue between Park and Flushing Avenues shattered when a white sports car crashed through them on Saturday afternoon.

A black SUV was driving down Washington Avenue when it ran a red light and rammed into a white sports car that was driving along Park Avenue, pushing it into the supermarket’s doors around 2 p.m., according to Adrian Spatzer, 30, the manager of Fresh Fanatic. A spokesman for the Fire Department’s Emergency Medical Services said that two people were taken to Kings County Hospital Center for trauma injuries, though it is unclear whether they were the drivers or pedestrians. Despite the accident, Fresh Fanatic kept its usual hours and remained open until midnight, as a repair person was expected to arrive late in the day to fix the doors, according to

Spatzer.

“We’re the only grocery store in the neighborhood, and I think it’s vital that we stay open,” Spatzer said, noting that she is uncertain how much it will cost to repair the doors.

“I haven’t put together all the numbers, but we’re thinking it’s expensive,” she said. “The cars’ insurances will cover it.”

This is the second time a car has crashed through Fresh Fanatic’s doors in the past five years, and one of many close-call accidents, according to Danelle Davis, 40, the superintendent of Fresh Fanatic’s building who also serves on the Park Avenue Safety Advisory Council.

“One of my tenants just emailed [Council Member Letitia James’] office three days ago because she was almost killed crossing the street right here with her 19-month-old baby in a stroller and her dog,” Davis said.

The accident came exactly a week after 9-year-old Lucian Merryweather was killed when an SUV jumped the curb and pinned him underneath on the corner of DeKalb and Clermont Avenues. Earlier on Saturday, Fort Greene Livable Streets held a public meeting to discuss street safety improvement measures in the nabe in the wake of Merryweather’s death. The Washington Avenue accident occurred only 15 minutes after that meeting ended, Davis said.

“We’ve been trying for two years to get all these problems taken care of,” Davis said. “There’s a 30-mile-per-hour speed limit and in 1.9 miles, there’s not a single speed limit sign – not one. And now it’s also a slow corridor which is supposed to be 20 miles per hour. There are no police here monitoring the traffic situation. People drive through here at 60 to 80 miles per hour on a regular basis. I’ve never seen the police pull over anyone for speeding – and all they gave us is that red light trap [camera] up there that photographs, which makes money for the city but it doesn’t make anyone any safer.”

“How many times does a car have to drive into our building for some type of change to take place?” she added. “It’s upsetting to everybody.”