NATIONAL CITY (KGTV) — A car crashed into a National City sushi restaurant Sunday morning, leaving a gaping hole in the side of the building and forcing it to temporarily close just before its third anniversary.
Surveillance video from just before 11 a.m. Sunday shows a car speeding through the intersection of 8th Street and Palm Avenue in National City before crashing into the side of Sushi N' Gone, a family-owned fusion restaurant.
In Sushi N' Gone's surveillance video, the car is seen blasting into the dining area, where a chef was working at the time. She was not hurt.
Owner Paolo Morales said he got a frightening call from his chef shortly after the crash.
"She was scared, crying, and shaking," Morales said. "She said a car is into the restaurant and I was like, what do you mean inside of the restaurant?"
Morales said the owner of the Shell Gas Station across the intersection told him he called 9-1-1, so by the time he showed up, National City Police was already on scene.
On Sunday, the car was towed out of the side of the restaurant building, and the wall was patched up. However, on Monday, the crash scene remained as Morales said the Fire Department had to come and do an assessment of damages.
Morales also added that he filed a police report on Monday to accompany his insurance claim.
Morales said the crash comes just as Sushi N' Gone is approaching its third anniversary. Morales said the restaurant officially opened in National City in 2023. He describes it as a fusion concept blending Latino flavors with Japanese culture.
The restaurant has been red-tagged following the crash. Morales said after the fire department conducts an inspection, he's hoping to start repairing the wall mid-week, with a goal of reopening next week.
"We have nine families depending on the place, so we cannot let them down," Morales said.
ABC 10News reached out to the National City Police Department about the driver and the cause of the crash. 10News attempted to contact the driver directly and has not heard back, though Morales said the driver is being cooperative.
