The aftermath of a hit-and-run that disrupted the quiet early hours in Watertown unfolds as Jana Grill & Bakery grapples with significant structural damage. Police have identified the rogue vehicle responsible for the incident. In the quiet hours around 2:20 a.m. on Monday, surveillance footage captured a red Ford pickup truck speeding through Watertown and Galen Street, crashing into the eatery's facade, according to Boston 25 News. Upon fleeing the scene, the vehicle not only left behind a collapsed building but also a downed light pole. The driver's absence continues to cast a shadow as they remain unidentified and at large.
Fortunately, the restaurant's closed doors at the time of the incident spared human life. However, the livelihood of Suren Keryan, the establishment's owner, now hangs in the balance, marred by ruin and uncertainty, as his beloved grill—esteemed amid the local community for sizzling Armenian delicacies—lies amidst the debris. "We have to fix it," Keryan declared, echoing his resolve to restore the heart of Jana—a charcoal grill that commands a small fortune and embodies unique craftsmanship. It serves as a haven for aromatic meats and vegetables that bear the signature of the Jana experience, as noted by Boston 25 News.
As the profoundly affected Keryan navigates through the turbulence of insurance and repairs, he leans into the community's embrace, offering the perishable sustenance he can no longer sell, a gesture of reluctant but generous distribution. "Everyone who wants some food, they can come and I will give all the fresh food, just give it out to people," he said in an attempt to salvage what he can from the fateful event, as reported by Boston 25 News.
News of the located red pickup truck, the apparent culprit in this incident, has surfaced, though it carries an air of incomplete closure. The driver's identity and their fate after the accident remain veiled, and Watertown police are yet to unveil the associated charges. The restaurant's rejuvenation teeters on a timeline equally obscured, as the owners—an Armenian family—grapple with the indefinite cessation of their economic lifeline. Meanwhile, authorities edge closer, guided by the scant breadcrumbs left in the truck's trail, according to NBC Boston.
The streets of Watertown, the ripples of a Monday marred, the anticipatory silence that follows a community shock—these are the fragments of a present intermission, where the answers sought and the restoration yearned for by Keryan, his advocates, and his clientele are suspended in the gossamer threads of ongoing investigations and the slow turn of days into healing.
