Brookline

Crash leaves car sideways on stairs next to Brookline synagogue

Two people had to be rescued after a crash that left a car in a precarious position in Brookline, Massachusetts

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A crash left a car in a very tight space Friday in Brookline, Massachusetts.

The vehicle ended up on its side and wedged in an alley next to Temple Beth Zion, a synagogue on Beacon Street.

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"We were sitting in the synagogue," said Susan Kahn. "A car came flying by outside the windows, and we heard a huge crash, it was absolutely terrifying."

Friday night services had just started at the synagogue when the crash took place.

"A few minutes into the service, after we lit candles, I just heard a big crash and saw something flying by the window over there," said Maya Krasik.

The congregants looked outside the window and saw a startling image — the car resting on a stairwell between the synagogue and a retaining wall.

"The leader of the service said, 'Are there any doctors in the room?'" said Anya Shire-Plumb.

Several doctors ran outside to try to tend to the two people in the car until paramedics arrived.

The driver and the passenger had to be rescued by first responders.

The car had been in a parking lot behind the synagogue before going over the ledge and into the alley.

It took hours for the car to be hauled away from the scene.

"It was a little scary," said Shire-Plumb. "Especially for the Jewish community, at this time, it could mean anything."

Witnesses say the driver and passenger were conscious. Both were taken to the hospital.

Investigators have not said how the driver got the vehicle into such a precarious position.

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