Drunken driver crashes into Franklin Square restaurant, cops say
Firefighters at the scene after an alleged DWI crash in Franklin Square on June 24, 2017. Credit: Paul Mazza
A Franklin Square man was arrested and charged with driving while intoxicated after his car slammed into a restaurant and damaged an adjacent insurance company storefront early Saturday, police said.
Michele Masci, 23, of Fenworth Boulevard, was being held in lieu of a $5,000 cash bail or $5,000 bond following his arraignment Saturday in First District Court in Hempstead.
Masci was behind the wheel of a 2002 Audi when it struck the front of Brews Brothers Grille on Franklin Avenue just after 1 a.m., Nassau County police said in a news release.
Responding officers found Masci and two other occupants in the vehicle, which came to a stop facing south in the northbound lane and had “extensive front end damage,” the news release said.
Masci, who was determined to have been operating the car under the influence of an alcoholic beverage, was taken into police custody, officials said.
He suffered abrasions to his shoulder and was taken to a hospital by the Franklin Square Fire Department for treatment. One passenger, described by police as 23 years old, suffered a fractured right rib.
The crash damaged the Allstate Insurance Co. as well as a nearby electrical utility pole, causing power lines to fall, police said.
Masci is charged with driving while intoxicated, two counts of third-degree assault, fourth-degree criminal mischief and reckless driving, police said. His next court date was set for Aug. 15. Attorney information for Masci was not immediately available.
Calls to Brews Brothers Grille and Allstate were not answered.
With Lisa Irizarry
