Mercedes owner apologizes for house crash

The owner of the Mercedes-Benz convertible that barreled through a Huntington home apologized Wednesday on behalf of her son and his girlfriend, who police say drunkenly slammed into the residence after blowing through a stop sign.

Terry Sajewski, whose husband recently gave her the 2003 cherry red Mercedes as a 50th birthday present, said her son, Daniel, 23, took the car without permission and never should have let his girlfriend, Sophia Anderson, 21, get behind the wheel.

Police say Anderson registered a blood alcohol-content of .30 on a roadside breath test -- nearly four times the legal limit of .08 -- and failed a field sobriety test after crashing into the home on Southdown Road shortly after 4 a.m. Monday.

"They're good kids who did something stupid," said Terry Sajewski, 50, of Huntington. "They will take responsibility. They are very sorry that it happened."

Anderson was still being held on $50,000 bail at Suffolk County Jail Wednesday after pleading not guilty Tuesday to driving while intoxicated.

Sleeping inside the home were sisters Helen Indiere, 96, and Virginia Bennert, 94, whom the speeding car narrowly missed. Neither woman was hurt.

Terry Sajewski said Anderson and her son are more than willing to help the sisters fix their ruined home.

"They'll be happy to do anything they can for these . . . ladies, whether it's painting or helping to rebuild," Sajewski said.

"We will hold them [her son and Anderson] accountable. And we'll be happy to help them fix their home."

Moments after the crash, Daniel Sajewski told his mother he apologized to Indiere and tried to shake her hand amid the wreckage of her home, Terry Sajewski said.

Indiere's family declined to comment Wednesday.

Sajewski said her son lives on his own and "makes his own decisions." But she vowed to help the young couple make things right.

"I love my son," she said. "They're going to make up for what happened."