WATERVILLE — Police are investigating a hit-and-run that occurred early Friday when a car crashed into Mezza, a Lebanese restaurant on Temple Street in Waterville, causing thousands of dollars in damage to the building, according to its owner.
“A vehicle hit it right at the entrance to the gas line that feeds the server into the building, which is causing Jim and Melissa to shut the business down,” restaurant owner Tom Nale Sr. said. “Hopefully, they will be able to open it Wednesday.”
Nale’s reference was to business operators Jim Veilleux and Melissa Grant. Nale said Sunday that Waterville police and firefighters, as well as workers from Summit Natural Gas, responded to the crash, which occurred between 1:45 a.m. and 1:53 a.m.
Nale, a retired lawyer, Waterville mayor and district court judge, said he had viewed video footage of the crash. The license plate on what appears to be a Ford Five Hundred sedan is clearly identifiable, as is at least one person inside the vehicle, according to Nale.
“I am confident that they’re going to find out, if they haven’t yet, who these folks were,” he said.
He said the video shows the car had been parked between a nearby brick building and a Gregory’s Disposal trash receptacle near a fence.
“The vehicle hit with such force that it destroyed the interior wall, pushed the stove and prepping tables and utility pieces to the middle of the kitchen floor,” Nale said. “It severed the gas line to the oven.”
Earlier this year, Nale bought, renovated and renamed the former Lebanese Cuisine, also known as the Lebanese Bakery.
Lebanese Cuisine closed earlier this year after its owner, Laya Joseph, died.
Nale said Sunday that the 10- to 15-minute video footage of Friday’s hit-and-run shows the car’s occupants with drinks in their hands. Two people left in the vehicle after the crash, but one person who was wearing shorts and a T-shirt walked away from the parking lot, according to Nale.
He said his insurance carrier will be assessing the damage to the restaurant at 34 Temple St., a short street that runs between Main and Front streets in downtown Waterville.
“It was in the several thousands of dollars worth of damage,” Nale said.
Veilleux and Grant reportedly had 75 pounds of food inside the restaurant when it was damaged by the vehicle. They immediately gave the food to people who needed it, according to Nale.
He said that after the crash, he was most concerned about a possible natural gas leak, because as he could smell gas inside and around the building. If someone had lit a cigarette, for example, it could have caused an explosion, he said.
Nale said many customers and others have expressed concern to him, Veilleux and Grant about the crash and damage to the eatery.
“There’s been an outpouring of support from an awful lot of people,” Nale said. “I plan on going up on Wednesday. I’m going to be in the restaurant to help them.”
Email requests to Waterville police seeking comment were not returned Sunday.
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