Witnesses: Car in fatal crash went airborne

A man was killed Saturday morning when the car he was driving veered out of control, went airborne and struck several other cars before slamming into the front of a body shop in Manhasset, police and witnesses said.

The 2011 Nissan Maxima came to rest in a crumpled heap about 8:30 a.m. against the garage entrance of Bodyworks Unlimited at 3 E. Shore Rd., witnesses said.

Nassau police did not identify the crash victim, but said he was 55 years old. No other injuries were reported.

"In my left side mirror, I saw something flying in the air and I didn't realize what it was," said witness Matt Moran, 75, of Manhattan. "It was like a rocket. The car was flying and hit two or three cars, including mine. Then it ran into the front of the shop. It sounded like a bomb."

Another witness, Karim Fahmy, 32, of Great Neck, said the Maxima drove past him on Northern Boulevard at high speed before missing a curve and driving through a small park near the intersection with East Shore Road.

"He hit benches in the park and part of a wall and the car went flying" off an elevated area in the park, Fahmy said. "It was so high in the air, the bottom of it scraped the top of a yield sign."

Several cars were damaged by flying debris from the body shop, witnesses said.