Local reaction to the crash at Ninja Sushi

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) - Yuma residents are sharing their reaction to the crash at Ninja Sushi that happened Monday morning.

The crash happened at around 6:30 a.m., in the area of E. 16th Street, when a 21-year-old man driving a 2015 Dodge Challenger, crashed into the south side of Ninja Sushi, "causing significant damage to the building," the Yuma Police Department (YPD) said in a press release.

YPD says the building was unoccupied at the time of the crash, and that the driver was the only occupant in the vehicle and was not injured.

However, YPD says a medical issue appeared to be a "contributing factor" in the crash, ruling out speed and alcohol.

Ninja Sushi server Sid Quezada says this isn't how she expected to start her Monday: "I was like, 'Oh, that's weird. The doors are open.' That's not usually the case, and then I come in and there's everything everywhere…glass and all that and then I saw the photos that someone had posted online."

Some customers, like Quinn Viridian, say this is something they were worried about because of the restaurant's location.

"When I saw the images, it was just very surprising that someone could crash in here. I've heard people talk in town about this being on the corner with the highway exit being right here and the possibility of this happening, but I never thought this would happen you know," Viridian expressed.

Despite the challenges the accident brought them, Quezada says they're prepared to help the owner in any way possible: "However, we can be available to try and help out people are really receptive to that stuff here. We're a tight knit group of workers."

Ninja Sushi says they expect to be closed for about a month due to repairs.