A teenage joyride recently ended in a crash that left the 2000 Chevy C5 Corvette belonging to the 17-year-old driver’s parents totaled in a bakery, deli, and pizzeria entrance in South Brunswick Township, New Jersey.
The South Brunswick police department reported the teen lost control of the Vette while driving at high speed on Georges Road at 1 am on Saturday, March 11th. No injuries resulted from the crash.
Damage to the C5 Corvette’s driver side
The police tweet says “speed is the reason for this crash” and notes that the C5 Corvette was totaled. The entrance to Pierre’s Deli, also known as Pierre’s of South Brunswick, was damaged when the car struck it. The teenage driver received a summons.
Comparing Google Street View to the photos of the totaled C5 Corvette suggests a possible scenario of how the accident developed. The outside panel of the Corvette’s driver-side door has been ripped mostly off its hinges, while the door’s inner panel is still in place. There is also heavy damage to the driver’s side rear of the car, with the body panels seemingly peeled back and outward.
A pair of small ornamental brick pillars with lamps on top can be seen in Google Street View images of Pierre’s Deli, flanking the entrance to the parking lot. One of these pillars is visible in front of and to the right of the Corvette in the accident images.
The car’s position and the visible damage may suggest the driver sideswiped the left-hand pillar at high speed, tearing the door panel mostly off and peeling the body panels rearward. The Corvette appears to have stopped before it struck the right-hand pillar.
The undamaged passenger side door is open, suggesting the driver escaped through this door after discovering the inner panel of the driver side door was still stuck in place, blocking egress.
Since Pierre’s Deli closes at 8 pm on Fridays, the accident occurred purely as a result of ill-advised thrill-seeking rather than reckless driving prompted by irresistible hunger for a Philly cheesesteak or sub.
The images provide a cautionary tale against high-speed joyriding and the ease with which such irresponsible actions can bring the opposite of joy. Though fortunately no injuries or fatalities occurred this time, the outcome could have been very different, and the foolhardiness still resulted in the destruction of an apparently mint-condition 23-year-old C5 Corvette.
Check out the original South Brunswick police department tweet below.
SPEED IS THE REASON FOR THIS CRASH.
A 17 year old Edison teen was driving too fast a 1 AM on Georges Rd in his parents 2000 Corvette when he lost control. There were no injuries. He damaged entrance to Pierres Deli, totaled the car, and received a summons.#SlowDown pic.twitter.com/vvq7OTlUIq— So Brunswick PD (@SoBrunswickPD) March 11, 2023
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Comments
There may not have been any injuries as a result of the accident, but when he got home there would have been injuries inflicted at that time. I’m sorry, but I was brought up to respect my parents and their property.
I agree with you. Lucky the kid did not hurt himself or someone
else or worse
Finding New Roads In A Chevrolet
Finding New Rolls. It was a bakery wasn’t it?
Honestly I’m glad the kid didn’t get hurt and that he didn’t hurt anyone else. Now with that out of the way I agree with the majority here. That kid doesn’t deserve to be driving he only added to the high cost of insurance. Which in that perspective is the very reason that has stopped my teen from being able to drive. The insurance I can’t afford and being a teen in school can’t work enough to cover the high cost.
Now on to the car….. I’m a Vette lover and a previous owner of one myself. And the others who posted are right in the power they have 🙂 I attained my knowledge at a young age grateful too. My dad and uncles were into fast cars. In many forms classic hot rods, drag racing to nascar. There is a different form of driving SKILLS that need to be respected and known. Unfortunately the truth is there are many “adults” that lack in having this too. A PARENT who owns a car that holds such power is just as wrong as the this teen here. Because the reality is just what it is you need to understand the power FIRST so that you don’t get into trouble when you give it to cuz once in motion it’s more than likely not gonna stop UNTIL THE DAMAGE IS DONE! Lets HOPE this makes a lesson learned the hard way and not just one of those spoiled rotten kids that never learns to give to the right order of due respect! Simply because this gives way for problems to become the problematic issues that the responsible are forced to endure! As the insurance rates across the board go up. Errrrrr….. And I miss my 1995 convertible she was my only ride for 6 years. I took pride in her care well enough she won a couple of trophies…(stolen and never found) … One sweet day I hope to have the ability to afford one again! Nevertheless I am grateful to have the memories. ….. Tip .. goes for all cars… If you find yourself going to fast in corner (if and only when there is no danger of a slow moving car Infront of you!) Now is NOT THE TIME TO GET SCARED AND HIT YOUR BRAKES EVEN IF YOUR GETTING PULLED OVER! YOU DONT HIT THE BRAKES while in a curve especially when in the middle of a curve, just give it a LITTLE bit MORE gas yes MORE GAS it will carry you through. Then you can slow down afterwards and hopefully you use this as a measure in safe keeping not daily driving lesson. The daily driving lesson is you slow down first before you even go into the curve it’s called PREVENTION! AND SAFE DRIVING OUR TRAVEL ROADS ARE DRIVEN BY ALL! RESPECT YOUR YOUR LICENSE BECAUSE ITS NOT A GIVEN RIGHT; YOU CAN GET IT TAKEN AWAY! Let go of the ego other wise eeeegads the thought of that sends shivers down my spine!
I like what the one commenter did with his Vette loan to his nephew! It makes good sense, I like it! (I never thought about it haven’t loaned my car haven’t been asked…. whew! Lol .. wink)
I bet the dad let him take the car out just so his teen would feel cool and get laid.
No problem, it will pound out.
We have owned over 25 vettes and have 2 right now my daughter and her husband just sold 2 vettes and bought a brand new 2023 what a beautiful car . My husband never let her drive our vettes to dangerous for a young driver she loves her new vette but she babies it and she drives crazy in her new ford explorer ST she drives that like she’s on the racetrack sometimes but she totally respects her corvette shame on that dad for letting him drive a car like that at his age stupid anyway you look at it and it makes me sick to see it all smashed up a waste of a beautiful car !!!!!
Nicely written article.
Thanks
Nominate the parents for parents of the year.
Are we going to start seeing articles about every bug that’s killed on a windshield? Seriously it’s a 20-year-old car and is not an uncommon occurrence! No need for fluff!
It’s just a 20 year old car? So I’m guessing you don’t own a Corvette. I’m sorry, but I do, and stories like this show most kids these days have absolutely no respect for anyone or anything. It’s sad.
I’m a Corvette owner, seven of them to be exact. I totally agree with 100% of you comment Kevin!
The worst thing about selling Corvettes is having to listen to Corvette owner stories. They’re cars it’s not a religion. No one cares about how many were built with X,Y,Z options or your favorite color. Get a life. My brother works on them and he hates the stories as well. Said he was going to two different labor rates. $20 per hour more. If he has to hear a story. We know all about the heritage that we want to know. They’re great cars. Enough said, keep your stories to yourself. Personally, I would rather hear a good Chevelle story. Thanks!
Thanks for being a respectful corvette owner we have had over 25 over the 45 yrs we have been married loved and respected everyone thanks for keeping a beautiful collection you should be very proud
I recently sold my 2001 C5 convertible. I still have regrets in selling it even though we had it for 23 years.
I let my 17-year-old great nephew take it to his senior prom AFTER riding with him and cautioning him on how quickly the car can get away from him. I took him on an air strip and had him punch it after about 30 mph. Scared the sh!t out of him and he gained respect for the car and the power it had.
Parents need to TEACH their children how to drive a higher horsepower car, not a dog-a$$ed 4 cylinder that can almost get out of its own way.
Agee! When I went from a Vette to a Toyota Corolla I thought I was gonna kill myself! Had to relearn when I had enough time to pull out! Hahaaa true so true
I hope this little $hit’s parents let him sit in a cell for a while. That might teach him something. Then make him go out and get a job to pay back his parents AND the Bakery.
Call a dent popper!
I love my kids as well as my toys. And our Corvette is one of them. I would say. U are going to buy me a new one by working your booty off. Or get out . Your choice. U crossed the darn line.
Absolutely!
First off everyone it’s not a 25 year old corvette. All you people here can not count. It’s a 52 year old corvette. I know the first one made was in 1953 and this vette is a 2005. So if you want to post something know what your talking about. I have owned 7 vettes and I presently own a 1986 and she is awe so sweet of a ride. As for the kid take him to jail take away his license and throw away all of his keys and life no second chance if it’s not your do not drive it or sit in it or borrow it, respect others property. I was raised that way if not mine do not touch it with asking or without permission from the person it belongs to. But in this case we’re the parents ear responsible I think so. They should have had the keys locked up like a gun. It also shows the kid might have done other things like this with other things as well he has no common since or respect. I think he should spend the rest of his life buying his parents a new vette but in reality it won’t replace the 2005 vette nore his respect to his parents, yes blood is thicker the water and love dose conquers all but in this case no and never will. My girls respect my vette and my 12 motorcycles 🏍 and my guns 🔫 💪 they know they can get hurt if they do not respect my things and there mother’s and other people’s things and feelings. That kid probably doesn’t say yes sir or no sir or even yes mama or no mama he as no respect for anyone or anything so throw him under fort Knox the teenage idol and basted.
You cant count either. its a 2000 Corvette. That makes it 22 years. You cant read either. its not a 2005. Clean your glasses.
Hoo Boy, reading this and seeing the carnage that happened, this sent me right out to my garage and make sure that my C5 (silver in color too!) was still there! ‘Ya know seeing stuff like this makes you realize that although “it’s only a car” and you can always find another one may be be true, but if it’s “yours” and somebody takes it away from you (doesn’t have to be a C5 Corvette, make it any possession if you like) can be really emotional if you’ve got some history behind the ownership of that vehicle. Sure we have “feelings” for our possessions (sometimes, not always), those feelings could be “pride of ownership” or “contentment”, call it whatever you want, but for gosh sakes here was a perfectly good C5, and now, it’s just so much junk and all due to the really poor judgement call from this young kid.
With great power comes great responsibility (I’m paraphrasing here) but can your average 17 year old kid possibly have the ability to know how to assume that kind of responsibility (unless he or she is taught)…in this instance, he couldn’t and before our eyes is the end result of someone’s really poor judgment choice, plus property that wasn’t his was damaged too! This isn’t the first time poor judgement has been shown and the result was something of value destroyed, and I’m afraid it won’t be the last! We can be thankful no one was killed (this time) and while this should be a lesson to future “poor judgement choices”, sadly it won’t be and we’ll be witnessing another “accident” like this one (or worse!) and again we’ll all be shaking our heads and writing letters expressing our disdain about what had happened.
Truthfully I’ll bet that most of us have been in a “poor judgement decision” at one time in our lives, and lived to talk about it or even write about it so others can read our feelings about what has happened to them. It’s a lesson in life, pure and simple and we all know that “life’s lessons” are not always learned the first time a mistake in judgement is made.
My 2001 C5 was a Quicksilver convertible. I had to die twice, yes, I said die twice, before I said f$$k it, I’m buying a Vette. Even though I didn’t drive it only in spring, summer and fall with no rain and definitely not winter since we are in the Midwest snow belt, I miss it every day that I walk into the garage and see the 2017 Cadillac CT6 sitting there.
I am getting Corvette fever again and am on the lookout for the perfect one to buy. When I find it, the 2017 Cadillac will be relegated to the driveway where the 2020 CT6 is sitting.
I have a 05 which I have own for the past 11 years and can imagine having it total, and true it is just a another car to many people, but to the true Corvette lover it is so much more, going by some people classification of a sports car ( must be a performance two seater) that along would make it America first only true sports car , and I for one will always put it at the top of the list as my favorite.
I owned several vettes and everyone put a smile on my face driving them. I spent a month driving with my daughter letting her drive my 2004 Convertible so she and her boyfriend could take it to prom last year. She has a healthy respect for the power of the car! She had a great time and the fun part she said was that she parked away from all the other cars and when they came out there were a bunch of sport cars all parked where they were and went for a night cruise after.
Great to be able to give your kids a great memory.
Had a 2017 C7 in Admiral blue, 7 speed manual, Z51 option with a transparent targa top. Carbon flash badge deleted any shiny stuff as well. The night I brought it home I actually fell asleep in the garage in a lawn chair beside the car, no sh$t. Stunning car. If you’ve never owned a Vette, you wouldn’t understand. If that was my kid he’d be going to university a little later than he thought.
Then you hear these stupid parents buying there teen a Corvette as a first car justifying it by saying they are a safe driver. Sure he is as long as your riding with him. It’s when his friends dares them that things go wrong.
That’s right the kid is alright and no one else was injured or killed by the way he recklessly drove his PARENTS car around that night, and doesn’t every STATE or COUNTY or CITY HAVE CURFEWS FOR TEENAGERS NOT GRADUATES FROM SCHOOL YET. On top the Police didn’t do there jobs, check if he was “high “ from some kind of drugs ?[cocaine, alcohol, marjuana etc] .
No one knows except the boy if anyone else was in that car, and if he let them drive it around to, they could be the ones who caused the accident and totaled the nice classic car like he had CORVETTE C7. NO ONE WILL EVER KNOW THE TRUTH FROM THE BOY. AND THE PARENTS ARE SCREWED OUT OF THE INSURANCE PAYOUT.
No one has mentioned the fact if the young driver was on his parents insurance. Once all my kids were licensed they were insured to drive any of our cars. Doesn’t matter if he was out late or not.
If insured insurance pays, now if they continue to carry them is another matter.
All you hear is what a car and how great it drives driven enough high end cars myself but end of the line it is only a bucket of nuts and bolts that brings you from A to B. It’s only the badging that makes it more expensive but most bolts can be used on multiple brands and at lower cost to boot so it is the badge that tells you that for car A it costs $5.00 a bolt and for car B the same bolt only costs $1.25
Those sure are some sexy nuts and bolts!! Wouldn’t look half as good on a Mustang or an F150.
@Chris. You got only one thumb up for talking me down. But it shows me how utterly stupid society is by thinking it is corvette so it is special last time I checked I didn’t find any materials used to build them to be different from your mustang or F150 or any other vehicle.