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Car Slams Into Building Hosting Chanukah Wonderland, Injuring at least 15

WOODMERE, NY [CHI] — CrownHeights.info reporting from the scene: At least fifteen people are injured after a car slammed into a building, running over many children and adults. Including a one and a half year old baby, who is among the more seriously injured. The vehicle ended up at about 30 feet inside the building.

At about 2:45pm an 78-year-old man lost control of his car. Slamming it through a plate glass window and driving straight into the building at 1052 Broadway in Woodmere, where the Chabad of Five Towns was hosting its “Chanukah Wonderland” workshop and funhouse.

More pictures in the Extended Article!

Hatzalah responded to the scene with multiple ambulances. There were five seriously injured, including two children and three adults. They were transported to local hospitals. There have been reports that the ER requested helicopter, to transport some of the more critically injured to a different hospital.

Nassau County Emergency Services have established a command post, and are triaging injured patients.

It’s not yet known what caused the vehicle to crash.

There were about 150 people were inside the building when the accident occurred. The unhurt children in the building were apparently taken to a nearby fire station.

Shliach Rabbi Zalman Wolowik has requested we say tehilim (here) for the injured.

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42 Comments

  • NS

    I had just pulled up at the location. Since my kids were sleeping, I left them in the car with my wife while I went across the street to purchase a drink. On my way back to the car, I peered straight into the very window that the car drove through. No sooner had I walked away from the window returned to my car when the incident happened….Had my children been awake when we arrived there, we would have all been inside the building…also, had I been at the very window another few moments, I would have been there at the time….a true Chanukah miracle,,,,may all victims have a speedy recovery!

  • Roses

    Stick with the Tehillim and the positive Kiddush Hashem at the rally. Doesn’t it say that Tinokos shel beis Rabban have “Protectzia” with G-d?

  • BH

    I heard that the shluchims kids were not there because they were watching the online rally!

    BH for the small stuff…..

  • Staff at Chanuka Wonderland

    It was a very traumatizing event. I was no more than 100 feet away from the accident (inside the building) for some people the trauma kicked in right away thank g-d for me it kicked in as i was watching the medical personel taking care of the people. I would like to thank the emergency personel (Nassau County Polic, Woodmere, Inwood, Lawrence-Cedarhurst Fire Department, and all Hatzoloh Volenteers) for everything.

  • Horrified and Thankful

    The horror! To see the pictures of the window…knowing that I was standing right at the very window that the car penetrated, only moments earlier, and that my family and I were all supposed to be in the building at the very time of the incident, were in not for a miracle that resulted in us waiting outside for a few more minutes!

  • SheosoNisim

    It is same kind of miracle that spared one or two survivors when the rest of the inmates of a barracks of a concentration camp were killed.

  • Old folks

    Guys- forget the politics- there is something a lot more serious. Does anyone realize that the geriatric population behind wheels is a menace to everyone? In Fla they have huge numbers of accidents related to this group and whether it is politically correct or not, the FACTS remain.No one wants to acknowledge they are dangerous with poor eyesight and dulled reflexes- has anyone addressed the real issue here?The rest is nonsense-sorry but this is life and death and not time for peoples’ opinions and declarations.There needs to be an age limit or more responsible screening of the aged.

  • Saddened

    Lets just say Tehillim and not say negative things about other people!

    Let us say Tehillim for those who were injured at this Chanukka Wonderland!

    Refuah Shelaima

    Amen!

  • KITRUG!

    Obviousley there is a big kitrug on Lubavitch. We need to fix whatever we could especially in achdus, tznius and other things like caring for children in our community who are not accepted to our schools and left in the streets. Alos we need to start caring more about one another in our community. There are countless couples who are going through big mashberim and some are getting divorced and no one seems to care and try to help!
    All we do is gossip about it and have a great time discussing it on the backs of those who are suffering and the kids that are suffering the results.

    Wake up chasidim and start caring about fellow chasidim!

  • Saraleh

    Rachmana litzlan. This is yet another nisayon. Refuah shleimah gedolah to the injured. Hashem Yirachem! Ignore the negative comments of the ignorant, and say Tehillim with kavanah.

  • in shock

    I was one of the girls doing the booths.my activity was… the lego menorahs.they were sitting on the window sill that was smashed.and I was sitting on the floor in front of it the whole day! at TEN TO THREE someone came to pick me up. The whole day I meant to stay until it ends. I had a chanukah miracle, plain and simple. if you look,the car went stright into the lego. it is scattered all around.Thank you hashem!

  • Moishie

    I believe the word Miracle is used very loosely. If all the injured have a Refuah Shelaima that would be a true Miracle.

  • fellow jew

    this for sure was done by someone who hates us.
    i am sure they won’t admit to it because it could continue to ruin the economy,the stock market and not to mention start panic.

  • sw

    I was right by the window at 2:45 when i turned and saw headlights in my direction, I don’t know what saved me and my baby but the car went right passed us. It hit the stroller in front of me. The entire Chabad crew was so calm through this ordeal helping everyone ,one of the staff found one of my kids i was missing and passed her to me and then went on to help the rest. Tefilot goes out to all that were injured lets hope a chanucka nes will save everyone.

  • For NS

    “despite the fact that others were, in fact, not as lucky.”

    here you said it yourself …it wasn’t a miracle it was luck.

    Please let’s limit the use of the word miracle.

  • mirackes!

    to the responce of not calling it a miracle!

    everthing in our life is a miracle!
    Val nisech shbchol yom imanu v’al niflaosecha vtovosecha shebchol eis!

    each person can see this in their own way as a personal miricle.

    to some they were spoared and for others yet another test it is our mission to see hashem on evrything that happends and daven to him to spare us from all further tragedy!

    PS no need to be negative!

    may we enjoy a few more days of chanukah in goos helth and with strength to continue in avodas haboireh

  • Shliach

    Berl Just a thought; perhaps it had to do with the individuals who can’t stand when other people don’t agree with them? We must learn to tolerate each other even when we disagree. We must stop immediately trying to blame the other and begin immediately blaming our selves. According to the Torah we must “Dan Lichaf zechus” on others and be tough on ourselves. In this case we should be blaming our own side and leave the others to blame them selves.

    On a side issue; I’m a shliach and I have people asking me all the time about the Mishichist and I use it out to make the Rebbe look greater. I say, “You see how great the Rebbe is people even believe he is Moshiach”. Obviously it should to go together with an explanation how according to torah it’s not forbidden. (Although there are people of the opinion that it is, I believe they are out numbered.) If done the right way, if anything it will Mekarev people to Lubavitch. I know many shluchim don’t agree with me but as far as I know they did not try my tactic.

    Guess what! We are stuck with the mishichist they follow the same Rebbe as we do. We could kick them out of 770 we could call them goyim, the world will always associate them to Lubavitch. We must stop fighting them and learn to deal will them peacefully like we all know the rebbe wants.

    Please I beg everyone don’t answer this with more loshon horo and hatful words. Bite it, swallow it and digest it!!!!!!!!!

    P.S. I’m not blaming anyone for what happened I’m just trying to give a twist to what berl said

  • Don-t Forget .. THANK YOU CHABAD 5 TOWNS

    Don’t forget all those who were traumatized in this terrible accident…I was going to help out by the legos only 5 minutes before…Also the chabad staff deserve a big thank you for the way they handled the situation

  • caveman (here come the excuses)

    First: may those that need a Reifuah shlama receive it right away with no delay. may hashem protect ALL Jews from any harm (b’gashmius and b’rochnius). Enough is enough!
    ——————————————————
    to Shliach (if thats what you really are).

    you just came out of a cave?
    Maybe you just finished a good farbrangen (and the birds are chirping, the followers are blooming and the sun is shining etc..)?

    Get your head out of the sand.

    Yaacov avenu prepared for his BROTHER Esav in 3 ways,
    He prayed (we do that every day 3 times a day)
    He sent presents, he tried to appease (as we have done for many many years. we tried your way, it didn’t work, they take it as a sign of weakness).

    And he prepared to fight. Yes, Yaakov who sat and learn t all day etc… was getting ready to battle his BROTHER esav (and kill him if it came to that).
    I’m not saying we have to fight (g-d forbid), but we must stop pretending like we can some type of “peace” or existents with these people.

    Let them go back from were they came, just because someone landed here (CH or Chabad) from g-d knows were, does not make him a fellow “BROTHER” that can say and do what he wants.
    Let me ask you one more thing.
    For the sake of “love your fellow Jew”
    are you going to let people step all over you, your father, your REBBE?
    Perhaps you can give us all your address and we can send some of these fellows to you for a while (they might like it and decide to kick you out, how about that)?
    When was the last time you did anything for these brothers (that was risky) like lending your car etc…?
    perhaps you have a nice boy or girl to marry off, i may have a sidduch for you (your so open minded).

    I hope your not one of those guys who sees a fellow jew with a flat tire and start preching to him how “dract gut vet zayn gut” gam zu L’tova“ etc… instead of getting down and dirty to help the fellow (by acutely making it good with action).
    My mother always used to say ”life is not a book”, not everything always works out like it says in the book. you have to be realistic and deal with the situation on hand.

    “Terrorism may not succeed in destroying our civilization – but politically correct euphemisms and apologetics are already crippling our ability to defend it.”

  • caveman (here come the excuses)

    one more thing:
    It is not right to connect any tragedy to any body’s action.
    We don’t need to open the mouth of the Satan (well deal with our problem on our own, we don’t need his help, no thank you).

    On the other hand we shouldn’t us tragedy to excuse people doing bad things (in the name of “love your fellow”).

  • s/o who was there when it happened

    btw, just think of the miracles that happened- it was a full house, so many people in there- there could’ve been ch”v much more casualties. Pashut a neis- yes a miracle, and don’t deny it. plus, that the car didn’t start smoking and all that cuz then tehre could’ve been real danger. May the injured have a speedy recovery and i hope e/o who saw what happened will be able to calm down and not be traumatized (Beis Rivkah volunteers, good luck to you!)

  • Meshichist

    just want to comment back on what “Shliach” said,
    I do agree with your way of looking at things, but it sounds like you talk about us, the “Meshichistim” as a sect G-d forbid.
    we are all here to do one thing and is to bring the final Geula. if you get your Chayus from one thing and someone else from something that might seem not so right to you, then just let it be, but to look at your own brothers as goyim H”V….

    you should have a Chanuka FILLED with light!
    Yechi Hamelech!

  • Hershel

    “Obviousley there is a big kitrug on Lubavitch”. There is a sharp Tzetil from the Rebbe in response to someone who wrote a letter combining two tragedies that happened at that time etc. The Rebbe answered him that the two have no connection one to the other and quoted a Gemoro to that effect that we should davka not combine such inyonim. I have to look for the exact wording and what gemoro, but that was the content.

  • ceo

    people,
    want to know what to do that you ALL can really do in your own way?
    add to this list:
    visit the sick
    smile at people
    cook a meal or one dish for someone who is having a hard time.
    invite a lonely person for shabbos and give them alot of attention
    find other chasadim to do. Theres alot.
    who can add to this list?

  • Dovid

    “Moshe was one hundred and twenty years old when he died. His eye never dimmed, nor did moisture leave his (body, even after he died).” Deut. 34:7 – Gutnick ed. translation.

    Many commentators allude to the idea that man is created with the potential to remain functional to the end – and in this is meant living a long, productive life.

    Sedentary lifestyles without enough exercise, rushed eating of fast foods, and all the other excesses of ‘golus’ are statistically doing us all in. It would therefore be good for us to embrace good habits just a bit more every day.

    I would much rather think that Bavarian Motor Works was at fault here than a person (a yid no less) as the messenger of that car becoming a lethal weapon. Nonetheless, other people have lost control of cars due to poor nervous-system based response, and more and more people are being fed the lies of side-effect laden drug ‘remedies’ for all kinds of conditions every day – especially seniors (and especially as advised by many chemically-oriented psychologists).

    Could Aspartame or Splenda possibly be eroding our nervous systems – or other chemicals, radiation, and electromagnetic waves now infiltrating everyones’ life on the planet due to cellphones?

    You bet. These are all unwelcome gifts of greed infiltrating from the world around us. It seems even science can be bought – from food science to medical science, to economic and financial theory, and everywhere in between. These short-term apparent ‘gains’ though, are bought with our own lives – and our children’s – our guarantors.

    Integrity in business needs chizuk, for one. That’s a ‘splendid’ thing that will add true sweetness – without side effects! Chemical answers just can’t be overused.

  • Licenced to Pill

    The government will take forever to regulate this.

    In the meantime, driving schools could test seniors privately – then give bumper stickers to those who pass. Something like this:

    Seniors for Safety

    or maybe this:
    G.A.D.D. – Grandparents Against Dumb Driving

  • Uzi

    Do not let this tragedy discourage you in your work. The snowball of truth is getting bigger. People all over the world are coming out of deception. Every person who comes out of that fog is helping others to come out.

    May the Creator bless your children with increased strength after their recovery!

    –A Noachide

  • Shlomo-Mazl

    Why do the bad things happen to Yidn? Specifically all the sudden frum yidn? Specifically all the sudden chabadnics? When I was a child and was punished by my father, I knew what it was for. Now, what wrong did we do?!!!!!

  • i think we all lost the point

    1st of all DOES anyone know what happened to the driver of the vehicle? before we say all these bad things about him maybe it was just purely an accident. maybe he isn’t senile and losing his vision. maybe he desperately needs our tehillim as well!

    definitely, our hearts need to be with our fellow yidden who are hurt and say tehillim but we must acknowledge the miracle of the many who were there and got saved. these people should bentch gomel and please g-d very soon the injured victims will be making a seudas hodaah thanking hashem for their recovery!!

    to Caveman (here comes the excuses) are we gonna compare us with fellow yidden to Yaakov and Eisav just remember yaakov and eisav are brothers but in reality thaty is us and Edom. it’s edom that we can physically fight. like what was told to yaakov that our weapon is tefilla not fighting. one of the things that makes me most upset about the situation in 770 is that there is actual physical fighting. our way to fight dartkness is with light. the way to fight disagreement and fighting is by bringing peace to this world. so everyone please say tehillim. do mitzvos, keep your opinions and beliefs as YOUR opinion and belief and no one else has to agree with you. and in the merit of this peace-keeping and the light of chanukah, may all those injured have a refuah shlaimah and moshiach should come right now.

  • Yossi

    Did anyone check the Mezuzot in the chanukah wonderland building or in the Chabad House of the Fivetowns

    Also maybe the Chabad Rabbi(s) in charge of the Chanukah Wonderland should check their Teffilin if they didn’t do it in elul

  • realistic

    who was the driver?

    i suspect premeditated criminal intent or terrorism.

    he drives a 4/4 SUV down a street makes a sharp right turn directly into a parked SUV.
    keeps going over the low brick window cill, through a huge glass storefront.
    drives right over children and their parents.
    and only stops at the end of the building?

    who was the driver?
    what race? or religion. drunk? drugged?

  • ES

    Why are people turning this into a mishichist, or non discussion. Also, why are people bringing terrorism up??? This is NOT another Mumbai, it was an old man, who apparently should not be driving anymore. The point is not why or how it happened, or other random things that have nothing to do with the incident at all, we just need to stop writing dumb comments, and say tehillim for the people who were injured!

  • Schmooley Shlomo

    OY VEY TELL ME THEY DIDNT HIT THE MENORA

    LET ME KNOW IF THERES ANYTHING I CAN DO TO HELP (BESIDES DONATING MONEY)