Unlicensed Driver Accused Of Hitting Historic Norwalk Cemetery Wall

NORWALK, CT — Both occupants of the vehicle that crashed into a stone wall surrounding a historic cemetery and churchyard, located along East Avenue, only held learner's permits and the driver was a juvenile, according to an update provided by police.

In an email Friday, Police Sgt. Sofia Gulino said officers are working with the juvenile driver's family and charges are pending at this time.

Gulino also clarified that initial reports indicated the vehicle had fled the area after striking the wall next to St. Paul's on the Green Episcopal church on April 2, however officers did in fact locate both the vehicle and its occupants, who were cooperative, at the scene that night.

The crash occurred around 10 p.m., according to police. Rubble from the damaged wall could be seen spilling into the churchyard's cemetery the following day.

According to the church's website, St. Paul's grounds are "home to a historic churchyard where you'll find examples of cemetery architecture from early colonial times through the 18th and 19th centuries."

The website also notes the church itself was founded in 1737, however the present church building, built in the 1920's, is the fifth erected on the site.

Michael Mushak, a member of the church who helped restore the cemetery in 2002, told Michelle Woods Matthews, the city's director of communications, the wall belongs to St. Paul's and will be repaired by a mason hired by the church once an insurance settlement is paid.

Mushak also noted the wall has likely been hit many times over the past 285 years since the church's founding, and no historic grave stones appear to have been damaged as a result of Saturday's crash.

According to the Norwalk Hour, city historian David Westmoreland estimated repairs would cost less than $10,000, but reconstructing the wall would likely take some time. He also noted the wall dates back to sometime around the late 1700's or early 1800's, and about 1,000 people are likely buried there.

St. Paul's on the Green did not respond to a request for comment.