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The incident took place around 8 p.m., Saturday, Jan. 4, in Redding, when a man came frantically running into Tomasino's Pizza yelling his vehicle was stuck on the train tracks at the West Redding Train Station, said Gina Costanzo, the daughter of the restaurant's owner, Tom Costanzo.
"My dad and one of the pizza makers ran outside and the man was back inside his car and the train was right on top of him when my father yelled for him to get the "F" out of the car," she said.
Seconds later the car was rammed by a train at the crossing, said officials with the MTA.
"It was really scary," said Gina. "I was inside and was just hoping the man got out in time."
Luckily, the unnamed man made it out in time, as the MTA reported that no one was injured during the crash.
MTA officials said at the time of impact there were 12 riders aboard the train who were transferred to buses. Service was restored by 9:50 p.m. after the vehicle was towed.
The train and the tracks were not damaged.
After the crash, Costanzo had the man come back into his restaurant where he had a "few sodas," and tried to calm down as he waited for the tow truck and to get a ride home.
"It sure made for a lot of excitement," said Gina. "The man was shaking when he came back inside."
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