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At 8:45 a.m. Sunday, Danbury officers responded to the pizza place at 184 Great Plain Road, near Candlewood Lake, police said.
The entire front of the business "was demolished," and the interior sustained extensive damage as well, police said.
A witness told officers that the driver involved in the crash had reversed the vehicle to drive out of the store and then took off on Candlewood Drive, with debris from the store still on the car, police said.
Officers located the vehicle about a half-mile away at a residence on Brighton Street, police said.
They located the driver, Sean Wiedl, 25, of Danbury, was not injured in the accident, police said. Wiedl told officers that he had fallen asleep at the wheel and gone through the stop sign at the intersection of Great Plain Road and Candlewood Drive, where the pizza place is located.
Wiedl was charged with failing to obey a stop sign and evading responsibility. He was released on $100 bond and was scheduled to appear in Danbury Superior Court on Oct. 18.
Marcos Aguilar, the owner of Martino's Pizzeria, said in a Facebook post that he and his family are safe after the accident, which caused extensive damage to both the interior and exterior of the building.
"I'd like to thank you all for your warmest wishes and prayers. On behalf of Martino's Pizzeria, we are grateful to have your support and we look forward to being back in business to serve our amazing community," he said.
The community is rallying to help Aguilar repair his business.
A GoFundMe page has been launched to help pay for repairs, where are already underway at Martino's Pizzeria, which is also known by its former name, Caruso's Apizza & Deli.
"Let's all chip in as a community to help get Marco and Martino's back on their feet! Every little bit helps," the GoFundMe page says.
Click here for the GoFundMe page.
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