Police: Siler City man charged after crashing SUV into car, restaurant, 4 pedestrians

A Siler City man has been charged after police say he crashed into four people at a restaurant on Friday afternoon, killing one.

John Salvatore Graviano, 60, was booked in the Chatham County Detention Center and placed under a $1,000 secured bond. He was charged with misdemeanor death by vehicle, failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident, and driving left of center.

Officials said that the driver was traveling west on N.C. Highway 64 when he crossed the center line and collided with a car making a left turn. After crashing into that car, the driver continued riding into oncoming traffic before exiting the road and stopping in a parking lot.

When he drove into the parking lot, he hit four people who were gathered together, waiting for their meal at Johnson's Drive In on East 11th Street.

After hitting the four people, he crashed into the restaurant.

A 64-year-old man was killed in the crash, officials said. A 77-year-old woman was airlifted to UNC Hospital, and is in serious condition but is expected to live. The other pedestrians, a 39-year-old woman and an 18-year-old man, were transported to the hospital but did not have serious injuries.

Located right off US 64, Johnson's Drive-In is a popular restaurant in the community, having been in business since 1946.

A Facebook post from the restaurant's page noted "A car crashed into the front of the building earlier today. We are not yet clear of all the details. We will be closed for an undetermined amount of time. Please pray for those who were injured."

"Very chaotic," said Johnson's owner Carolyn Johnson Routh, who was in the back of restaurant when the crash happened. "It was scary but you just kind of go into self-preservation mode and go try to see what you can do to help."

"You never think something is going to happen like this on your property to people who you know, people that depend on you and trust you to feed them," Routh said.

Johnson's is known as the first restaurant along US-64 between Asheboro and Raleigh.