What to Know
- A 29-year-old woman has been arrested, accused of driving into a Queens home while intoxicated
- Witnesses say she was half-naked and screaming
- The home has been partially vacated while officials investigate
A runaway SUV plowed through the garage of a Queens home Monday afternoon, injuring a family of three, and witnesses say the driver was a half-naked screaming woman who appeared to be intoxicated.
The vehicle was driving at high speed when it tore through the two-family home on Baisley Boulevard in South Jamaica, according to police. The SUV destroyed the garage, leaving behind a gaping hole where a bedroom used to be.
A 17-year-old neighbor named A.J. told News 4 that the SUV missed him by just a few feet: "Something just told me to move, something in my brain," he recalled thinking as he watched the vehicle approach.
A.J. said he saw the pieces of the wall crumple onto a teen living in the home: "The debris fell on him, he's about 14 years old, and the debris fell on him, toppled on him."
Witnesses said the driver, a 29-year-old woman identified by police as Shanna Shaw, got out of the vehicle wearing only her underwear. She seemed disoriented and under the influence.
"She was just screaming, just screaming," said A.J. "No words at all."
Local
Police said the woman tried to leave the scene but was arrested. All of the injured are expected to survive.
But there are even more victims: A.J. and his family may have lost their home, since it's been deemed no longer safe to live in.
"We have to move or vacate the apartment until further notice," he said. "It takes a toll on everybody, but you gotta live through it, I guess."
A.J. and his family are staying with friends for now. The driver, Shaw, has been charged with driving while imparied and with two counts of fleeing the scene of an accident.
Attorney information for Shaw was not immediately clear.
Messages left for the building landlord were not immediately returned. The Department of Buildings said during investigation at the crash scene, they learned the home had been illegally converted and didn't have adequate egress. As a result, a partial vacate order was issued for the first floor and garage.
