Driver of stolen car plows into South Floral Park home with sleeping mother, son

A stolen car smashed into the living room of a home in South Floral Park at a high rate of speed on Tuesday morning, but the two occupants of the house escaped without injury, according to police and the homeowner.

Satee Birmingham and her adult son were asleep in their respective first-floor bedrooms when a car smashed through the front of their home on Arthur Avenue at 8:22 a.m., she told Newsday.

“I just heard a bang. I woke up and the whole house was basically on top of me,” she said. Calling out for her son, she told him “Wherever you are, just jump out a window … We had no idea there was a car in there,” until a neighbor pointed it out to them.

The yet-unidentified male driver of the Honda sedan, which police said was stolen, fled the scene on foot and is still at large, Nassau County police said.

“There are no worries because it could be worse. We are alive,” Birmingham said. “And there are people in other parts of the world who are living worse. So it’s all in a day.”

The vehicle came through the front wall into the living room and dining room before making a left turn into the garage, taking down a beam in the middle of the home, she said.

Nassau County police said when they arrived on the scene they found a two-door, white Honda sedan inside the home.

The car was stolen earlier in the day from outside a home on Hill Avenue in South Floral Park, according to Fifth Squad detectives. The homeowner, authorities said, had left the vehicle running unattended and noticed the thief enter the vehicle and drive away.

Birmingham said she was told by the fire marshal that her home is not safe to live in. She’s working with her insurance company and an adjuster to address the significant damage to the home while seeking a temporary place for her family to live.

“I am still trying to put all my thoughts together,” she said. “I need to get a shower somewhere. I don’t know where. And just kind of get prepared for what’s ahead.”

Police described the driver of the stolen vehicle as a teen wearing a dark hooded sweatshirt, black sneakers and dark pants.

Detectives are asking anyone with information about the incident to call Nassau County Crime Stoppers at 800-244-TIPS.

With Howard Schnapp

By Robert Brodsky

robert.brodsky@newsday.com@BrodskyRobert

Robert Brodsky is a breaking news reporter who has worked at Newsday since 2011. He is a Queens College and American University alum.