Truck Plows Into Stewart’s Food Store

A pickup truck crashed through the front window of Stewart’s Food Store on Wednesday afternoon, startling customers and forcing the grocery store to close for more than a day.

Store security cameras show the crash occurred at 2:23 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 28, when a Ford F-150 driven by Johnny Moore ran through a twofoot brick wall and a pile of firewood stacked outside the store before smashing through the front window, according to store officials.

The truck came to rest inside the store in front of the bakery rack.

No one was injured, including Moore and customers inside the store, but the impact knocked out the store’s overhead lights, owner Robert Stewart said.

Mr. Moore was assisted out of the vehicle through the passenger side by store manager Jason Pack and others who were nearby.

“We were scared to death. It sounded like a bomb went off,” cashier Sandy York said.

Pack said the crash startled both customers and employees, but staff quickly went into action. Cashiers checked out patrons who were already in the store, and Pack escorted customers to the exits before closing the business for the remainder of the day.

Stewart’s Food Store remained closed all day Thursday while employees cleaned up broken glass and debris. Jackpot Construction boarded up the damaged front window, a process that wrapped up around 2 a.m. Thursday morning, Pack said.

Olney Police Department, EMS, and the Olney Volunteer Fire Department responded to the scene.

Pack said the crash did not cause structural damage to the building. The store may replace its front entrance with a larger door, he said.

Despite the disruption, Pack said he was thankful the incident did not result in injuries.

“We were very busy, and knowing that is the busiest area for customers and staff was nerve wracking,” Pack said.

Robert Stewart also praised members of the Camp family at ACE Hardware for keeping their store open late to help supply materials needed to secure the building.

“We had tons and tons of phone calls of people offering to help and materials,” Stewart said. “We appreciate it muchly.”