By Sarina Trangle
A Nassau County bus driver swerved to avoid a bicyclist and crashed into a Queens Village Papa John’s Pizza early Saturday, the franchise owner and FDNY said.
Asad Azhar said he rushed to his 89-53 Francis Lewis Blvd. business after an employee called around 1 a.m. Saturday to alert him that the bus had slammed into the pizzeria.
The employee had rushed to the back of the store and was OK, Azhar said.
The fire department said it did not transport anyone to the hospital, but had crews on scene from about 1:25 a.m. to nearly 5 a.m.
But the Papa John’s sustained heavy damage and will be closed for three to four weeks, according to Azhar.
Saturday afternoon he watched workers sift through the rubble, where he said about a quarter of the bus had lodged into the shop until FDNY employees removed it just before 5 a.m.
“It’s a mess. We can’t touch this. It’s all wires hanging everywhere,” he said.
But Azhar urged the community to support his business.
“Just come back to us,” said Azhar, a New Jersey resident. “We have a lot of loyal customers. We’ve been here 10 years.”
Reach reporter Sarina Trangle at 718-260-4546 or by e-mail at strangle@cnglocal.com.
