James O’Rourke jorourke@lohud.com

No serious injuries reported%2C crash remains under investigation

The driver of the car was not charged with any criminal wrongdoing

Il Portico had been closed for renovations%2C leaving the dining room empty at the time of the crash

Restaurant owner Peppe Pinton said the crash is likely to push back reopening several months

TAPPAN – A Main Street building listed on the National Register of Historic Places was damaged Wednesday when a car plowed over its front porch and through a wall, authorities said.

Orangetown police responded to Il Portico Italian Restaurant & Bar, 89 Main St., about 3:27 p.m. to find a Cadillac Seville lodged in the eatery's dining room, said Peppe Pinton, Il Portico's owner.

Pinton said neither the driver nor a passenger appeared to have been seriously injured. Police said the driver was taken to Nyack Hospital.

"We had unexpected guests for dinner this evening," Pinton joked hours after the incident. "They dined on table 18, had a bottle of Opus One wine and their bill came to probably about $600,000 to $700,000."

What caused the crash remained under investigation Wednesday, but police said the driver, whose identity was not released, was not criminally charged.

Pinton said the restaurant had been closed for restoration work in the kitchen, resulting in there being no customers in the dining room when the car came through.

"The good thing is, nobody got hurt," he said. "I'm very optimistic about life. In fact, I'm having a glass of wine right now."

Pinton said he purchased the property in 1986 and spent two years restoring the structure, which had been built around 1850. That process aided in Wednesday's positive outcome, he said.

"When I did the restoration, I kind of re-framed the whole building," Pinton said. "The porch did not collapse because of the way I did it ... it was well secured."

Pinton said the Orangetown building inspector examined the structure, eventually deeming it safe enough for the car to be removed, which happened about 7:30 p.m.

The restaurant owner said Il Portico was supposed to reopen on April 1, but that Wednesday's crash will probably push the reopening back several months.

Twitter: @JORourkeT800