Car Crashes Into Lakehurst Gas Station; One Injured

One person was injured when a car crashed into the in Lakehurst Monday afternoon.

A sedan broke through the station's front window, knocking down a portion of the brick wall. A man seated against the window at the time of the crash received minor injuries, said Chief of Police Eric Higgins. The man's name has not yet been released by police.

Police said that it appears the driver of the car, 94-year-old Virginia Sottman of Manchester, confused the brake and gas pedals while driving through the station's lot at about 3:20 p.m. The crash remains under investigation, Higgins said. 

"It sounded like a shotgun going off," said mechanic Kenny Bruno, who was working the front desk when the car crashed through the window, just feet in front of him.

"Everybody yelled 'shut the car off' and she did," Bruno said, as the sedan's spinning tires spewed smoke.

The building was evacuated after the crash, said owner Tim Patenaude.

Construction officials are expected to arrive at the scene to determine if the structure is safe. 

Traffic in the area was unaffected, Higgins said, as the crash area was contained to the station's lot. Fire crews from Lakehurst and Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst and the Lakehurst First Aid Squad also responded to the scene.