SUV crashes into Hempstead business, but no injuries are reported

The driver of a Honda SUV crashed into and damaged the front of Jay’s Furniture and Mattress in Hempstead on Saturday morning.

Jay Rashid, the store's owner, said no one inside the store was hurt as a result of the crash, which happened about 11:30 a.m. at the intersection of President Street and Front Street. Hempstead Village Police declined to comment on the accident and it's unclear if the driver of the Honda or anyone else was injured.

Rashid, in a phone interview, said that a vehicle struck a car making a turn at the intersection, causing the SUV's driver to lose control and crash into the glass storefront at the intersection’s southeast corner.

Rashid said there was no structural damage to the building and that his store remains open with its windows boarded up until the glass can be replaced.

“Business is tough to start with and then comes this,” Rashid said in a phone interview. “But we're getting support from everybody that's stopping by.”

Rashid said the intersection of President and Front is dangerous. Since establishing the store nine years ago, accidents occur there regularly, he said.

An investigation by Newsday into serious vehicle accidents from 2019 to 2023 found that the intersection, which runs through the center of Hempstead’s downtown, is within the most dangerous neighborhood for pedestrians and cyclists on Long Island.