'Loud boom out of nowhere:' SUV crashes into Cary shopping center on Christmas Eve

An SUV created major damage in a Cary shopping center when it crashed through a building on the afternoon of Christmas Eve.

A collapsed doorway and external wall were visible when WRAL News arrived, but the red SUV was so deep in the building it wasn't visible. The SUV slammed into the building "at a high rate of speed" so forcefully that it pushed around 30 feet into the building, according to the Town of Cary.

The crash happened at the Saltbox Village shopping center off Kildaire Farm Road and High Meadow Drive, where a towing company could be seen loading up an SUV with severe damage to the windshield and the hood peeling up.

There were no injuries, and the driver was arrested for driving while impaired.

The SUV crashed into a children's hair salon called Cookie Cutters. Thankfully, no one was inside when it happened. However, Great Grapes owner Gene Salerno said he heard the crash at his wine shop next door.

Salerno said he served in the military and the loud crash reminded him of when someone was storming the gates.

"We looked inside and we saw this car, it was totally decimated inside," Salerno said. "A few of the people from next door ran in and we tried to make sure we did our best just to keep people away from the awning which was about to collapse."

"It was a loud boom out of nowhere," he said.

Police, fire and EMT were on the scene. Crews were on the scene determining the safety of the structure.