Page 2 THE MALDEN ADVOCATE–Friday, September 18, 2026 SUV crashes through front door of Santa Fe restaurant in Malden Square No injuries reported in bizarre collision; employee pushed across the store in a booth after car burst through the door By Steve Freker T hank heavens it did not happen on a Monday night, when Santa Fe restaurant is the “Burrito Epicenter of Greater Boston,” lining them up out the door with its bargain pricing! On Wednesday morning, September 9, the popular Malden Square eatery met with the bizarre when a driver of an errant SUV crashed right through the front door of Santa Fe Burrito Grill & Bar at 11:00 a.m. No one, including the driver, was reported injured as a result of the crash. Malden Deputy Fire Chief Keith Buchanan told reporters at the scene the driver was “shaken up” but not physically hurt as a result of the accident, and it appeared she hit the wrong pedal while trying to parallel park in front of the establishment. Deputy Chief Buchanan said the car went about halfway through the entrance, taking out most of the front door and the facade. “The glass window above was just hanging by one of the posts, and it weighs about 400 or 500 pounds so it was very dangerous,” Buchanan told reporters. “WE’RE STILL HERE!” Since 1947 MALDEN AUTO BODY Book online: Maldenauto.com 49 Robin St., Everett, MA 617-389-3030 * Maldenab@yahoo.com Over 79 years of exceptional service! Massone Family Owned & Operated The back of the vehicle that crashed through the front of Santa Fe restaurant in Malden Square can be seen protruding from the door as onlookers check out the bizarre scene. (Courtesy Photos) Malden Police helped the driver of this vehicle out of her front seat after arriving on the scene minutes after the crash. (Courtesy Photos) Noting the location of the restaurant and the potential for a lot of pedestrians and the imMalden firefighters were on the scene at the Santa Fe Burrito Grill & Bar (205 Pleasant St., Malden), where a vehicle crashed through the front door at around 11:00 a.m. (Courtesy Photos) pending “lunch rush,” he said, ““It’s very fortunate that nobody was walking by at that time.” Malden Fire and Malden Police were on the scene within minutes of the crash on Pleasant Street, one of Malden’s busiest thoroughfares, in the heart of the downtown, across from the Malden Center MBTA Orange Line station. Malden Police helped the driver, unidentified and described only as an elderly woman, from the vehicle upon arrival, where she was deemed uninjured at the scene, according to reports. Santa Fe restaurant is located in the same building as Malden City Hall. Santa Fe’s ground floor storefront address is 205 Pleasant St., adjacent to City Hall at 215 Pleasant St. Traffic was diverted away from Pleasant Street for about 90 minutes while public safety personnel and two tow trucks extricated the vehicle from the structure. Employees also scoured the inside of the restaurant and cleaned up the many shards of broken glass strewn about the floor and on the tables. An employee inside the restaurant was not injured in the crash, but escaped injury and potentially worse since she was sitting in a large wooden booth with her back to the door. When the mini-SUV crashed through the front door, it struck the booth, sending it sliding across the restaurant. Some effective fixup work created a temporary facade and doorway to the restaurant overnight on Wednesday, and Santa Fe was back in business Thursday by lunchtime, following the bizarre setback.
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