Local

Stolen pickup truck crashes into restaurant in Pittsburgh overlooking city skyline

PITTSBURGH — A Chevy pickup truck plowed into the front of a popular restaurant overlooking the city in Duquesne Heights.

It happened around 4 a.m. Tuesday.

Police said no one was inside the truck when they arrived.

The head-on crash caused extensive damage to the front of Altius restaurant, as well as to its bathroom and servers’ station.

“As soon as we can get back open, we will be, but we want to do everything safe and make sure everything’s done properly,” said building owner Lee Mazzarini.

According to Pittsburgh Police, the pickup was stolen.

Police could not confirm how many people were in the truck when it crashed, but Mazzarini said they told him, “There were two gentlemen who stole a car — keys were in it — and basically came up Oneida Street, didn’t see the turn, hit the brakes, and were going about 40 or 50 miles per hour.”

Because the truck was empty when officers arrived, it’s unclear if anyone inside the vehicle was hurt in the wreck.

Steve Moriconi lives nearby and noticed the damage to the restaurant while walking his dogs.

He’s grateful the crash didn’t happen during business hours.

“There’s always a lot of people out front there, so thankfully this didn’t happen during a time like that,” he said.

Moriconi has eaten at the restaurant several times and, like Mazzarini, he’s eager for it to reopen.

“It’s very, very crowded at nighttime. It’s very popular,” said Moriconi. “I hope that they get everything fixed up and get it back in shape.”

Restaurant owners say they are working with their insurance company to determine the extent of the damage, but estimate it could be a month before they’re able to reopen.