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GARFIELD, N.J. -- Dramatic video shows a driver slam into a light post and nearly hit a pedestrian before crashing into two parked cars in New Jersey.

The crash happened Monday just before 2 p.m. in Garfield, New Jersey.

Police said the 88-year-old driver suffered a medical episode but was conscious when medics took her to the hospital.

During the episode, she apparently put her foot down on the pedal and lost control of the car. Her vehicle went onto the sidewalk, under a train trestle and struck a light post, traffic light and large flower pot.

The car came close to striking a man walking under the trestle who was heading to work at Walmart.

The vehicle then sped through an intersection before crashing into two vehicles waiting at the traffic light and finally coming to a stop.

Authorities said the woman's seatbelt saved her life, and she only suffered minor leg injuries in the crash.

SEE ALSO: Video captures moment out-of-control car flies through air, slams into house

The pedestrian who narrowly escaped serious injuries spoke out on Thursday and said he considers himself very lucky.

"I heard the car and it went like ehhh... I saw it and I thought it was going to cross and it was coming to me," Warlin Almanzar said.

Almanzar got off a few stops early to grab food -- something he doesn't typically do.

"I had my empanadas in my hand, I just threw it and ran away," he said.

Almanzar narrowly escaped with his life, but a tire did go over his foot, and he will need to undergo therapy.

It was not yet clear what medical episode the woman was suffering from.

Abel Rodriguez was in his shop at the time of the crash and helped the driver.

"When I got to the vehicle, the door couldn't open but she seemed shocked; she didn't know where she was," Rodriguez said.

No other injuries were reported by people in the other vehicles.

Almanzar was especially grateful for that.

"My uncle says, because I have a good heart, God blessed me and saved me," he said.

When you walk into Déjà Vu, in Garfield, NJ, you immediately notice the large bar and lounge area. So when a server comes around, you’ve surely already perused the selection of wine, cocktails, and beer (no draft pints). And right away, popular appetizers stand out. These include the signature Déjà Vu shrimp: lightly breaded, fried, and crispy, and served with a spicy garlic-mayo sauce.

Combining American, Macedonian, and Serbian cooking styles, the menu features Déjà Vu’s own take on Mediterranean cuisine. At this restaurant, you’ll find fresh, ground meat on skewers cooking over a hot grill, lounge seats around a big bar with cold cocktails and live entertainment.

Sipping drinks, popping shrimp, and taking in the restaurant’s ambiance provides ample time to coordinate entrée orders. You may find a well-designed flyer with top choices along with the full main menu. Along with skillful recommendations from knowledgeable waitstaff, these flyers will walk you through options you may not have tried in the past.

“For those experiencing our establishment for the first time, we highly recommend the Déjà Vu sofra,” notes co-owner Monika Aleksoska. “This delightful option provides a sampling of dishes, allowing newcomers to experience a bit of everything we have to offer.”

For the past two years, Aleksoska and her business partner, Ivana Vanev, have run the Déjà Vu show. As the owners, they have maintained and expanded the 25-year-old restaurant’s menu, staff, customer base, marketing efforts, and already stellar reputation.

Aleksoka and Vanev were born in Macedonia and Serbia, respectively. They met after they each moved to the States in the late 90s, and have been friends ever since.

In more recent years, they’ve built their lives in New Jersey. Professionally, they’ve been successful in their careers in corporate banking and human resources. Running Déjà Vu has been a passion project for them, and they’ve clearly pulled no punches in hiring a great team, and in sourcing products to build their menu.

“The menu primarily focuses on meats and salads, with less emphasis on pasta,” says Aleksoka. “I would describe it as Mediterranean cuisine.”

“The Déjà Vu sofra stands out as one of our most sought-after dishes,” says Aleksoka. “This generously sized platter is designed to satisfy two or three individuals and features a variety of delectable components. Included are kebapi, a savory sausage made from a blend of ground beef and pork, as well as makedonka, a succulent ground beef and pork patty stuffed with provolone cheese.” And that’s not all for this platter, which also showcases grilled pork or chicken rolls filled with provolone cheese and enveloped in bacon. This is just the beginning.

There’s also the bread bowl, which Vanev, Déjà Vu co-owner and graphic designer, describes as a unique creation, filled with flavorful ground beef and provolone cheese. “We take pride in crafting it fresh with the finest quality meat,” she says.

The variety of meat options reflect the Mediterranean-style cooking that characterizes this spot and the roots of the people who built the restaurant. Vanev notes that her own favorite item is the Déjà Vu burger.

Guests can rest assured that the drinks are strong, the desserts are rich, and the entrees are satiating—and high in quality protein.

“We take pride in making everything in-house, starting from sourcing certain meat directly from farms, grinding it, seasoning it, and shaping it ourselves. We never purchase [already] ground meat, which is something our customers find intriguing. It’s a labor-intensive and time-consuming process. While we face supply challenges from local farms at times, this meticulous process ensures that we consistently serve our customers the highest quality meat when preparing their meals.”

“When introducing new items like the quinoa bowl, we conduct a trial period during which we gather feedback and carefully document the presentation. Based on customer response, these items may potentially become permanent additions to our menu.”

The kitchen runs with two main chefs at the helm plus a hardworking crew, all to create Déjà Vu’s signature Mediterranean meals: Chef Vinny Miovski and Chef Aleksandar Mitkoski.

“Chef Vinny Miovski, by design, joined Déjà Vu six months before we acquired the restaurant,” says Aleksoka. “Chef Vinny’s extensive experience in launching new establishments from the ground up has proven to be instrumental in our success.”

Chef Aleksandar recently joined the team. Originally from Macedonia, Chef Aleksandar brings over 30 years of kitchen experience to the restaurant.

Déjà Vu has been known for live music on Saturday nights since even before Aleksoka and Vanev took ownership. This weekly party is an ode to the Balkan American community in Northern New Jersey.

“We’ve offered consistently, the Balkan Band on Saturday nights. We’ve now come up with a diverse base of bands like jazz on Sundays, or a modern-pop duo on Fridays,” says Aleksoka.

“Tonight, we have a six-member band performing inside, and we strive to maintain consistency in our offerings. We believe in sticking to what works well for us but plan to provide different entertainment options. We have invited talented individuals like DJ Chelli, who has a substantial following, and we also intend to introduce karaoke on Wednesday evenings. Our goal is to become a comprehensive destination for live entertainment.”

While Aleksoka and Vanev have made some notable changes, at Déjà Vu, guests who’ve visited before won’t notice much of a difference. Instead, the goal has been to broaden Déjà Vu’s audience.

“We’re fortunate to have been attracting a new crowd for both lunch and dinner. On certain days, it genuinely feels like we’re running a completely new restaurant. However, we value our longtime customers just as much as our new ones. When we spot unfamiliar faces, it gives us a sense of accomplishment, motivating us to strive even harder to ensure our customers’ satisfaction. We have great confidence in our offerings, and we are committed to expanding and further improving our services.”

Since finishing a major renovation in 2021, the restaurant is just as appealing to the eye as it is to the tastebuds. Guests either come here to recall homestyle cooking from their own childhoods, or to try food that they may have never had before. And now there’s also updated outdoor seating in the patio area. The result? A crowd from lunch all the way to dinner.

Déjà Vu is currently open daily from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. (Hours are subject to change.) Head to the website to see what’s on the menu and head to Instagram for updates about entertainment and weekly events.

Déjà Vu 50 River Drive Garfield, NJ 973-777-5288

GARFIELD, New Jersey (WABC) -- Dramatic video shows a driver slam into a light post and nearly hit a pedestrian before crashing into two parked cars in New Jersey.

The crash happened Monday near the intersection of Midland Avenue and Passaic Street just before 2 p.m.

Police say the 88-year-old driver suffered a medical episode but was conscious when medics took her to the hospital.

During the episode, she apparently put her foot down on the pedal and lost control of the car. Her vehicle went onto the sidewalk, under the Passaic Street train trestle and struck a light post, traffic light and large flower pot.

The car came close to striking a man walking under the trestle who was heading to work at Walmart.

The vehicle then sped through an intersection before crashing into two vehicles waiting at the traffic light and finally coming to a stop.

Authorities say the woman's seatbelt saved her life and she only suffered minor leg injuries in the crash.

The pedestrian who narrowly escaped serious injuries spoke out on Thursday and said he considers himself very lucky.

"I heard the car and it went like ehhh... I saw it and I thought it was going to cross and it was coming to me," Warlin Almanzar said.

Almanzar got off a few stops early to grab food -- something he doesn't typically do.

"I had my empanadas in my hand, I just threw it and ran away," he said.

Almanzar narrowly escaped with his life, but a tire did go over his foot and he will need to undergo therapy.

It was not yet clear what medical episode the woman was suffering from.

Abel Rodriguez was in his shop at the time of the crash and helped the driver.

"When I got to the vehicle, the door couldn't open but she seemed shocked, she didn't know where she was," Rodriguez said.

No other injuries were reported by people in the other vehicles.

Almanzar was especially grateful for that.

"My uncle says because I have a good heart, god blessed me and saved me," he said.

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Petroglyphs, or rock carvings have never been fully documented in New Jersey, despite many surveys of Indian villages and shelters over the years. Located along the Passaic River in Garfield sits a sandstone boulder with markings believed to ascribe to the Woodland Period, dating from 1,000 B.C. to the Native Americans’ first contact with Europeans in 1650.

The graffiti-marred stone has four carved symbols, a bear paw with claw marks, a fish, a phallus, and a set of initials. The

symbols are said to represent the fishing territory of a particular group, or a warning that bears also fished in these waters. The phallus may suggest a sign to the spirits for an abundance of fish.

The bear paw and fish are similar in design, suggesting the same carver. The phallus is believed to have been chiseled by another,

possibly at a different time. Archeologists in the area believe it’s a truly exciting find, since no other petroglyphs have been found in the area.

The meanings of the Garfield Rock Carvings are as much a mystery as when exactly they were made, and by whom. Although the depiction of the bear paw, which is the most pronounced, seems to a Native American symbol, as does the phallus, the opposite side of the stone clearly shows the letters AL, and a score of five deeply etched into the boulder above the picture of a fish. This would seem to say that someone named Al or with the initials A. L. had caught five fish in the river that day. The fish appears to be jumping out of the water, and has a striking resemblance to the Field and Stream decals an outdoorsman might place on the back window of his 4X4 pickup truck. Perhaps the bear paw and the phallic symbol were also carved by Al while he was killing time waiting for the fish to bite and feeling a bit randy.

On the other hand, the location was undoubtedly a popular fishing location for both the local Indians and the white settlers of the area, and the engravings may have been made years apart. It is even

possible that the ancient graffiti on the boulder might represent a turf war of sorts between the old and new cultures which shared the river for a time, adding their “tags” to the stone much like modern day gangs mark their territory with spray paint.

Are these carvings ancient, or just a work of art crafted by a hobo or perhaps a truant schoolboy many years ago? We will probably never know the answers to this Stone Age question. The last time we visited the site the rock was smack dab in the middle of an encampment of homeless people. Apparently the river, and the carved stone, are still a draw for those who choose to live a primitive lifestyle.

Photos © Weird NJ / Mark Moran

The preceding article is an excerpt from Weird NJ magazine, “Your Travel Guide to New Jersey’s Local Legends and Best Kept Secrets,” which is available on newsstands throughout the state and on the web at www.WeirdNJ.com. All contents ©Weird NJ and may not be reproduced by any means without permission.

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