Car flies 200 feet, lodges in building’s 2nd story

Driver dies as vehicle rams up to rear bumper into apartments

James Carbone / AP

Police and rescue workers survey the scene on New York's Long Island where a car is lodged in the second story of a building in Coram, N.Y., on Tuesday.

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updated 11:50 p.m. ET Sept. 12, 2006

CORAM, N.Y. - A car hit a dirt hill at high speed and flew 200 feet into the second story of an apartment building on Tuesday, killing the driver, police said.

Two people in separate apartments at the time of the 9 a.m. crash escaped injury, and there were no injuries on the street.

Investigators did not know what led the driver, Vincent Pontillo Jr., to speed down a dead-end street. His 2004 Honda Accord, which was launched from a 4-foot dirt hill, penetrated the building up to its rear bumper, police spokesman Officer William Fairchild said.

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An autopsy was scheduled for the 43-year-old Mount Sinai man.

The building suffered structural damage from the crash and was being inspected. Crews reinforced the building and used a crane to remove the car.

The building's tenants were receiving help relocating.