An elderly gym-goer was killed when a woman crashed her SUV into the front of a New Jersey Planet Fitness where he was working out.
The unidentified 72-year-old was exercising near the large front windows of the gym on Newark Avenue in Elizabeth when the 69-year-old driver plowed her maroon Jeep through the glass around 12:20 p.m. Tuesday, city officials told CBS News.
Another 59-year-old man who was using a treadmill at the time was also injured and hospitalized with cuts and bruises, officials said.
The driver, who was also not identified, was left with minor injuries from her airbag deploying.
The building also suffered structural damage and has been ordered closed by the city’s buildings department until it’s properly inspected, Elizabeth City Spokeswoman Ruby Contreras told NJ.com.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation by the Elizabeth Police Department and all parties involved are cooperating, officials said.
Gym members told CBS News the crash area included a free-weight section, treadmills, and a table and chairs just beside the front window.
One member said that if the crash had happened later in the day when the gym is busier, many more could have been killed or hurt.
“It’s crazy ’cause you got the young kids that come past there, too, that come from school and they’re working out too, so it could have been a lot more serious than it was,” gym member Frank McClain told CBS News.
Planet Fitness in a statement that “the safety of our employees, members, and guests is a top priority, and we are extremely saddened by this tragic accident and loss of life.”
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