Alleged drunk driver crashes into Long Island art show, causes thousands of dollars worth of damage
Drone video shows the damage caused by an alleged drunk driver crashing into a pop-up art show on Long Island.
Some artists say they lost tens of thousands of dollars' worth of merchandise.
Security guards narrowly miss getting struck by driver
Police officials say around 3 a.m. Sunday, a 23-year-old woman, believed to be driving under the influence, plowed her SUV through the popular Montauk Plaza, where dozens of artists had tents set up for their annual Art Show on the Green.
John Papaleo, Montauk Artists Association treasurer and organizer of the event, said she almost crashed into two security guards.
"[One guard] grabbed the other one, pulled her out of the way. The chair that she was sitting on wound up underneath the vehicle," he said.
Organizers say the driver barreled through at least six tents, destroying nearly everything.
"It looked like a tornado had ripped through here," Papaleo said.
Police say the driver was transported to a nearby hospital for minor injuries. She was charged with DWI and six counts of reckless criminal mischief.
Artists lose tens of thousands of dollars worth of merchandise
One of the damaged tents belonged to Jacqueline Clint, owner of Jacqueline Rene Jewelry.
"It's a significant loss for me," she said.
Clint estimates she lost almost $84,000 worth of jewelry. She says it's not just items that have gone to waste, but all the time she spent creating each one by hand.
"The tent, the tables, the displays, all of that is so easy to replace, but I put so much love and care into every single piece of jewelry that I made," she said.
Jim Levison, a retired New York City Police officer turned professional landscape photographer, says his damage is tallying up to more than $30,000. He says most of his work is displayed in expensive frames or printed on metal.
"It was disappointing. A little bit like the wind gets knocked out of you," he said.
He even had to cancel his upcoming Fourth of July show.
"The show season just started. This was only my third show," Levison said.
While he says it's a major setback, he's determined to recover.
The Montauk Artists Association is also remaining resilient, saying it still plans on putting on its second part of the art show scheduled for the end of August.
