JACKSON, Mich. — Thursday night ended with a bang at Jackson's Grand River Brewery. Just around closing time, a car careened into the building.
Grand River Brewery was just closing down Thursday night when a car went through the wall. Trystyn Jones, the manager on duty describes the scene.
"Initially I just heard a big crash and everyone started yelling my name ‘Trystyn, Trystyn, Trystyn,’" said Jones. "So, I come running out of the office around the corner here in the barrel room all I could see is the room filled with smoke so I ran up here and as soon as I looked over here I could see the car crashed through the wall. It was crazy.”
Just before 10 p.m. Thursday, Jackson Police received a 911 call that a car had crashed into the brewery's barrel room just off 117 W. Louis Glick Hwy.
"Upon our officers arrival, we did locate a 2003 Mercury Sable sticking through the wall, kind of dangling out there," said Jackson Police Lt. Adam Williams.
Nobody was in the room when the car crashed. But the person who stuck their vehicle into the side of the building was nowhere to be found.
"The driver had already fled the scene when officers arrived," Williams said. "Witnesses advised that the driver jumped out and got into a white Chrysler 200 and fled the area."
But, with the wall in question running parallel to the road, how did the car crash into it?
“You can see by the marks on the road the car was westbound on Louis Glick and obviously traveling at a high rate of speed lost control and crossed kind of you know southbound direction across the other lane of traffic and smacked in to the curb which caused it to jump into the wall," said Lt. Williams.
Grand River Brewery management estimates the cost to be somewhere between $150,000 and $200,000 in damages.
"It launched chairs all the way across the room and ruined 30 mugs," said General Manager Blake Wyant. "It ruined five barrels with aging liquor in it. We had 110-proof tequila, 110-proof bourbon. We had Dead Man's Hand whiskey all on the floor."
Management along with a restoration crew have been working to clean up the mess and prepare for what is shaping up to be a busy Valentine's Day weekend.
"We're already at 25 percent capacity. We need every possible seat we can get. Unfortunately, we won't be able to use the barrel room this weekend which makes things a little challenging for us, but there's no challenge that we can handle," said Jones.
Police are still looking for the driver of the vehicle. They have made contact with the vehicle's registered owner and believe the possible suspect to be a 27-year-old male.
The Jackson Police Department advises anyone with information on the crash to call their main number at (517)-788-4100.
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