A residential building in the Thousand Oaks Village development off Route 36 was rendered unstable when a driver in a green Jeep 4 x 4 crashed entering the ground floor garage and took out a center column around 9:00 p.m. Monday night. 

"The driver of the vehicle accidentally hit the gas pedal while pulling into her parking area," said Middletown Police Lt. Stephen Dollinger in a statement. "This forced the vehicle to strike a support column used to hold up a patio. There were no injuries. Fire department and building department were accessing scene for structural integrity."

In the dark, drizzly night, members of the Middletown Fire Department Collapsed Building Unit worked quickly to shore up support of the building with a hydraulic jack. By the powerful lights of Middletown Fire and Navesink Hook & Ladder trucks, the team created structural frames to stabilize the building. 

Surprised neighbors and evacuees watched the firemen's work from the parking lot, or leaned over balcony railings to take in the busy operation below.  

Gennaro Corsaro, who lives across the street, said he was alerted to the accident by the unusual sound in his normally tranquil neighborhood. "I was in my apartment -- and I heard this 'Bang!'" he said.