Police searching for suspects after car plows into flower shop in Haledon, N.J.
HALEDON, N.J. -- New Jersey police are searching for the driver who crashed a car into a Passaic County building.
As CBS2's Christina Fan reported Wednesday, the vehicle slammed into a flower shop in Haledon.
The shop has been in the family for three generations. The entire facade of the building, which is original from the 1940s, was damaged. That's why one of the owners was so upset she got into her car and decided to chase the perpetrators down.
Surveillance video shows the moment a Ford Edge went full speed into Morningside Florist on West Broadway as Brian Fischer and his daughter were getting ready for a busy day of work.
A member of the family, which lives upstairs, opened a window to see if the passengers were okay, when all of a sudden, "I saw the two kids get out of the car start running," Tara Fischer said.
"She followed them several blocks, but then they cut through some yards and she wasn't able to keep up where they went," Brian Fischer said.
Tara Fischer said her emotions took over, not just because the store was damaged but because she lost precious family history. All the stonework is original from 1945, when her grandfather first built the 6,000 square-foot shop.
"This is like my avatar tree. I can't. One thing happens to this building and it's very emotional to me. His blood and sweat that built this building," Tara Fischer said.
The Fischers say the intersection has been a traffic nightmare. Twenty years ago, a similar car crashed destroyed the left front window of their store. About 50 years ago, the building suffered a massive fire. But none of that put the family out of business.
"We are open. We are not closed. We will never be closed for something like this. We are a strong family," Tara Fischer said.
The family is now hoping surveillance video will help police identify the suspects.
"I just wanted to grab them. I just wanted to nab them and have them be responsible," Tara Fischer said.
The owners said, fortunately, the building is still structurally sound. And to show just how strong and resilient the family is, they actually made two funeral deliveries on Wednesday morning.
"I have weddings this weekend, huge, but we will get them done," Tara Fischer said.
Detectives are working now to identify the driver and passenger. As for the car, it was reported stolen out of Easton, Pennsylvania, Fan reported.
