UPDATE: High Speed Car Chase Injures Three, Damages Building

A high-speed car chase on Bloomfield Avenue Friday night left three people injured, one behind bars and rendered a building “unsafe for human occupancy.”  So why is the cafe in the building still open for business?   

The building on the corner of Bloomfield Avenue and Orange Street, houses the Havana Restaurant and Café.  On Wednesday, a neon orange sign in the window read, “Unsafe Structure Notice for 416 Bloomfield Avenue, Havana Restaurant: This building is declared unsafe for human occupancy.  No individual is to occupy the building until the structure is rendered safe and secure.”

Inside the Havana Café, however, it appeared to be a regular business day.  Customers went in and out of the café and chatted over lunch.  Employees served food behind the counter.

According to a report from the Bloomfield Police Department, the trouble began just before 10 pm on April 13, when a Newark man driving a stolen car led police on a high-speed chase and struck another car, injuring three people.  The driver, Jovonn Phillips of Newark, had heroin and cocaine in his possession when the incident occurred, according to the report.

“All of a sudden cars were flying by at the speed of light,” recalled Bloomfield business owner Francesco Palmieri, whose restaurant, The Orange Squirrel, is located near the intersection.  “Then you see the cops chasing a car and they all came spinning back [in a U-turn.]   Next thing you know -- BOOM!  The innocent people in the PT Cruiser wound up getting nailed by the Maxima.”

Palmieri says he saw the driver get out of the car and attempt to flee. 

“The kid jumped out and ran.  At that point there was a swarm of police activity.  It took no time at all for him to be apprehended.”

Phillips was arrested and charged with leaving the scene of an accident, with serious bodily injury, three counts of endangering an injured victim, three counts of causing bodily injury to another while fleeing, receiving stolen property, possession of heroin, possession of heroin with intent to distribute, possession of heroin within 1,000 feet of a school, distribution of heroin within 500 feet of a park, possession of cocaine, possession of cocaine with intent to distribute, possession of cocaine within 1,000 feet of a school and distribution of cocaine within 500 feet of a park.

Bail was set at $200,000.

Palmieri also noted that another car “got clipped” in the crash.  The car belonged to another business owner in neighborhood, “Javier,” who was attempting to drive it into his garage.

“That night the fire department condemned the building.  They took the tenants out.  One has a baby.  He had to vacate the premises that night.”

By Wednesday, the damage to the building was still evident.  Yellow police tape and a traffic cone loosely cordoned off a pile of rubble and the corner of the structure, which was covered in black plastic and tape. 

A Bloomfield police department patrol car was parked at the corner beside the damaged building.  When asked whether he thought the building was unsafe for the upstairs tenants, the officer said he thought the damage was confined to the basement area. He said a building inspector was expected to arrive that day.

Patch's attempts to reach the owner of the Havana Restaurat and Cafe were unsuccessful.  Check back for updates on this story.

UPDATE:  On Friday, April 20, Patch recieved the following message from Glenn Domenick, Bloomfield's Director of Community Development & Inspections:

The building Inspector walked through the structure Saturday morning, subsequent to the Inspection it was determined that no structual defficencies existed. As a precautionary measure due to some loose building materials on the outsde of the structure he posted an unsafe structure notice. At no time was the building vacated or or in any danger of collapsing. Subsequently the owner is in the process of hiring an engineer and has temporarily secured the strucutre and applied for all necessary building permits. We continue to make periodic inspections to ensure the condition is not deteriorating. -- Glenn Domenick. Director of Community Development & Inspections

Some of the information in this report was provided by the Bloomfield Police Department.  It does not indicate a conviction.

Jack Durschlag contributed to this report.