What to Know
- Surveillance video captured a man crash his van into his ex-wife’s Staten Island store, followed by a blast of flames that shot out the back
- A white van plows into the front of the store, then the driver twice goes to the back, with flames bursting out after opening the rear doors
- Police believe Imafidon intentionally drove into the story because it is owned by his ex-wife. He faces attempted murder charges
Surveillance video captured the moment a man crashed his van into his ex-wife’s Staten Island business, followed by a blast of flames that shot out the back of the vehicle.
Exclusive video obtained by NBC New York shows a white van plow right into the front of the Legacy Africana Market on Bay Street just before 11 p.m. Sunday. The driver, who police say was 42-year-old Anthony Imafidon, then got out of the vehicle and twice go to the rear of the crashed van as it stuck out from the storefront.
The second time he went back there, Imafidon opened the two back doors — and a wall of flames shot out like a fireball into the night. The inferno soon engulfed everything around it, including the car, the front of the building, even reaching a light pole nearby.
Police believe Imafidon intentionally drove into the story because it is owned by his ex-wife. At the time of the crash, the woman was at home above the market along with her three children between the ages of 11 and 15. Thankfully, all four were unharmed in the fire.
Imafidon stumbled away and collapsed, later being transported to Richmond University Medical Center with serious injuries. He was treated and released into police custody, facing four counts of attempted murder, four counts of attempted assault, two counts of arson, criminal mischief, reckless endangerment and three counts of acting in a manner injurious to a minor.
Information regarding an attorney for Imafidon was not immediately available.
Local
An “incendiary device" was used in the fire, according to police, but no other details were provided. The charred building was badly damaged and blocked off by officials but it was later determined that the damage didn't affect its structure.
