Vehicle Crashes Into 7-Eleven In Brick; Store Closed Temporarily

BRICK, NJ — The 7-Eleven on Burnt Tavern Road is closed temporarily after a vehicle smashed into the front of the store on Monday, Brick Township police said.

There were no injuries as a result of the crash that happened shortly before 10:30 a.m. at the store, at the corner of Burnt Tavern Road and Burrsville Road, Sgt. Jim Kelly said.

Mary O'Brien, 58, of Howell, received a ticket for careless driving, Kelly said. The police report said she accidentally hit the accelerator instead of the brake as she was pulling into a parking space in front of the store, Kelly said.

O'Brien disputed that in an email to Patch.

"At no time during or after the accident did I tell any of the Brick police that my foot slipped off the brake to the gas," she wrote. "There has been a class action suit regarding Honda CRVs accelerating. We currently have our mechanic looking into this as the possible cause of the accident."

"I can tell you with certainty that my foot was on the brake as the car accelerated. This I know because I called 911 and was told to put the car in park by the 911 operator. At no time after she told me that did I move to switch gears," O'Brien said.

The front of the building sustained significant damage and the store was evacuated, Kelly said.

The township’s building and health departments responded to assess the damage and safety concerns, and the building has been deemed unsafe, he said. The store will remain closed until it is deemed safe to reopen, Kelly said.

The Laurelton and Herbertsville Fire companies responded, along with Brick Township EMS and the Technical Rescue team to secure the damaged building.

Note: This article has been updated with comment from the driver, Mary O'Brien.