Cadillac Crashes Into Huntington Plaza Business

An 82-year-old woman drove her black Cadillac into the front window of at 2:30 p.m. today. 

The driver, a Shelton woman, told police she was pulling into a parking spot when her foot slipped off of the brakes and hit the gas pedal. The driver wasn't injured. The employees and customers inside the salon on 10 Huntington Plaza were also uninjured.

Shelton police say the accident is still under investigation and no charges have been filed. 

Taylor Kintop, 20, was getting a pedicure with her friend when the car smashed through the store. She said it was “more of a shock than anything,” and that she’s glad no employees or customers were hurt.

Owner Johnny Li had a surprisingly upbeat attitude as he watched the car being pulled from his salon.

“Things just happen sometimes,” he said with a chuckle and a shrug. “My daughter goes to SIS and her school bus was driving by. She saw us outside and called to ask what happened.”

Luckily, the car ran directly through the large window. Had it moved to the right or left just a few inches, it would have hit the surrounding brick and compromised the structural integrity of the whole building. Building inspector Joe Ballaro said some of the supporting blocks inside the salon were knocked in.

An engineer is expected to come and assess the damage, though firefighter Ryan Mattioli said neighboring stores were unharmed and can be open for business tomorrow.

“Thank god nobody got hurt. It could have been a lot worse,” Ballaro said.