Restaurant owner heartbroken after Maserati crashes into storefront

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD)- A restaurant owner is now without his business storefront after a car crashed into it early this morning.

The driver is now facing a reckless driving misdemeanor.

It was a wake-up call Anthony Marini says he never expected. “At 3:30 this morning and I came down here and saw the damage.”

Marini’s Italian deli, called The Pass is his prized possession.

It’s now unrecognizable after a car crashed into the building.

“We’re, like I said, assessing the damage and seeing what we have to do,” Marini said.

The Charleston Police Department says around 2 A.M. Tuesday, a woman was driving a Maserati on Spring Street when she ignored a stop light and crashed with a jeep that was driving on Saint Philip Street.

The jeep flipped over and the Maserati crashed into the building.

Police say the driver, who is in her thirties, is facing a reckless driving violation.

Marini says he’s just thankful no one was hurt.

“It could’ve happened at 2 pm. Thank god it happened late at night, no one was hurt, no one had serious injuries,” Marini said.

Other business owners on Spring Street, like Claudia Leonard Smith, say they’re heartbroken for Marini because they know how much work it takes to build a small business from the ground up.

“I just know what it takes to get a space and a small business storefront to look the way it does. There’s so much pride and work in it. I just feel so bad for him,” Leonard Smith said.

Marini says he feels the support from other businesses and the Charleston community, “A lot of support, customers and friends so I’m really thankful for that.”

With the best attitude he can have in such a hard time, Marini joked saying he might just take the logo from the crashed Maserati with him.

“I have a frame for this, we’re going to put it in the restaurant.”

Marini says even though he can’t go in his building he still wants to get back to work as soon as possible, he says he wants to get to-go orders back up and running.

He even mentioned setting up a table outside the restaurant to keep selling sandwiches.. Live in dt chs sr co2..”