East Haven's Hot Roostah reopens after car crash that put giant hole in restaurant

EAST HAVEN — Less than a week after a car crashed into the Hot Roostah Restaurant, putting a giant hole in its dining area, the Jamaican eatery has reopened. The restaurant reopened Wednesday morning, said Annastassia Scott, who is both co-owner and wife to Basil Waite, the primary owner. The gaping hole in the outside brick and cinder block wall is covered with plywood, Scott said, and Waite and his father built a new interior wall about six feet away from it. “Half my dining area was blocked off to accomplish this,” she said. She said a building official suggested the new wall. East Haven Building Official William Brown confirmed that he and health officials visited the restaurant Tuesday and gave the green light for the reopening. The crash happened shortly before 5:30 a.m. Friday. A preliminary investigation showed that the driver had just finished working a night shift and fell asleep behind the wheel, police Capt. Joseph Murgo said. He drove into a street sign and a telephone pole before being "catapulted" into the building. The car became embedded in the wall and was about five feet off the ground, he said. The driver, who had to be extricated, is recovering from serious injuries. He was not impaired and may not face charges, Murgo said Wednesday. The man is identified in an online fundraiser as Anthony Marchitto, a father of three who "has a long road of recovery ahead," it says. The GoFundMe was set up to help pay for medical expenses, it says; it had raised more than $25,000 by Wednesday afternoon. The Hot Roostah Restaurant’s hours are 8 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday through Wednesday for dine-in, (7:30 a.m.-6:45 p.m. for takeout, including Door Dash), and 8 a.m.-9 p.m. Thursday through Saturday for dine-in (7:30 a.m.–8:45 p.m. for takeout.) The restaurant is closed on Sundays.