Caught on Camera

Car Crashes Into Antique Car Dealership in NW Miami-Dade

The owner of the dealership believed it was a hit-and-run, but the driver says otherwise

NBC Universal, Inc.

Surveillance footage shows a car veering off Interstate 95 and crashing into the lot of a classic car dealership in northwest Miami-Dade.

The crash happened at around 3 a.m. Sunday. The driver of a sedan appeared to lose control while driving southbound on the highway and slammed into several vintage cars at Ted Vernon's Specialty Automobiles.

Ted Vernon, the owner of the dealership, said a 1946 Chevy was damaged along with two other vehicles. He also believed the driver and the passenger of the sedan intentionally fled the scene without waiting for the police.

"We've all done stupid things, but you don't just leave," Vernon said. "Stand up, be a man, don't just scoot out of here."

The couple told NBC 6 the vehicle had an OnStar system that contacted 911. They were waiting for Florida Highway Patrol to show up and claimed they never did. The man and woman are seen in the footage standing around and waiting, and then leaving the scene about 40 minutes after the crash.

"We were just trying to do the right thing. We contacted police immediately and they never showed up," said the driver, who did not want to be named.

The driver said they contacted an attorney, who told them if they felt unsafe, they could leave. The couple ordered an Uber and left their wrecked car there.

Police towed their sedan the next day and the couple said they contacted authorities and their insurance about the crash.

"Ultimately, I'm furious that my girlfriend and I were made to be some sort of criminals when neither of us were doing anything wrong," he said.

NBC 6 reached out to Miami-Dade Police and Florida Highway Patrol about the crash.

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