Two Injured When New Car Hits Gas Station in Englewood Cliffs

Two people were injured when the car they were in crashed into a gas station storefront on the Palisades Interstate Parkway in Englewood Cliffs Wednesday morning, authorities said. 

Palisades Interstate Parkway police officers responded to the Sunoco station on the highway's southbound lanes shortly after 11 a.m. and found a Honda Civic resting on the front wall and doors of the service station's store, according to PIP Police Lt. Michael Coppola. 

The driver, identified as 90-year-old Martin Mermelstein, had just bought the new Honda and stopped to fuel up, police said. 

"When realizing the vehicle was still in drive, the operator accidentally pressed the gas pedal instead of breaks causing the vehicle to jump the curb and enter the store," Coppola said in a statement. 

Mermelstein and his passenger, 80-year-old Lorraine Mermelstein, both of Sunnyside, N.Y. were taken to Hackensack University Medical Center with head injuries, police said. The injuries were not serious. 

The car's impact caused the front wall to shift and the checkout counter to move out of place, police reported. The station workers were unhurt

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