RIO RANCHO, N.M. (KRQE) – A Rio Rancho coffee shop owner is in shock after a car crashed into the front of his store Friday morning.
“All of a sudden, we hear this big boom,” said Josh Castleberry, founder and chief executive officer of Castle Coffee.
Castleberry said he was working at the store Friday morning when the incident occurred, and his back was turned to the front of the store when he heard the crash. At that time, a line stretched through his shop, and every table was filled – except for the one in front of the window the vehicle went through.
“I don’t know how to describe it other than like, just sounded like a huge gunshot or like a small bomb going off or something. It was just a big pop,” Castleberry said. “Everyone just kind of froze, and I turned around and see there’s a car like a foot into my shop.”
After speaking with authorities on the scene, Castleberry said he learned a woman had mistakenly pressed the gas pedal, thinking her vehicle was in reverse. Instead of backing up, the driver jumped the parking barrier and drove into the store.
“Just from what I was gathering was that she thought she was in reverse, and her foot got stuck, and she was actually in drive,” Castleberry explained.
Later that Friday afternoon, another business, this time in downtown Albuquerque was also hit with a vehicle. A car went through Kap’s Diner’s fence and through the front wall.
“I was standing back in this area. I heard a loud crash, and then, as I was coming this way to check on what was going on, the vehicle plowed into the restaurant,” said Daniel Garcia, a server for the diner.
No one was injured in either of the crashes. The owner of Castle Coffee said the store is open for business after they put up boards as a temporary fix. They plan on getting a more permanent fix in the coming weeks.
