Shoppers at a mall in Massachusetts were shocked when they spotted an elderly woman driving a car along the second floor of the building Thursday.
A video from the scene posted by a Twitter user identified as @ghettova shows an SUV slowly reversing in front of several stores. The clip, which was recorded at the South Shore Plaza in Braintree, Massachusetts, a city just outside Boston, has been verified by NBC News.
Other bystanders told NBC10, NBC News' Boston affiliate, that they were alarmed by the scene.
"I heard screaming first. One of the mall security women was just screaming 'Stop! Stop! Stop!'" store clerk Stacy Bartkos told the station. "When I looked up, there was a car, like right in the corner of my window. She came in, took a left and somebody finally stopped her."
Janet Parsons, who was walking in the mall with family members, told NBC10 that the woman was driving "real slow." Parsons said she was able to stop the driver at one point.
"As (she) got closer I pushed my granddaughters against the wall and I moved and stopped (the driver)," Parsons said, but the vehicle "kept on coming," rounding the corner after Parsons left to get help. "It's a blessing no one got hurt."
According to a statement shared on Facebook by the Braintree Police Department, officers responded to a report that a vehicle had been driven inside the mall just before noon. Police arrived and found the late-model Lincoln NCX stopped on the second floor. The woman remained in the vehicle speaking to onlookers. It's not clear if Parsons was one of the people the driver was speaking with.
According to the department, the elderly woman was able to enter the mall by driving over a pedestrian bridge from a parking garage.
"Due to a recent accident, one of the safety bollards was missing in front of the entrance. The mall sensor doors opened, allowing the vehicle to travel inside," police said. "The driver slowly entered the mall and took a left, where she travelled about 60 yards down the main corridor on the second level."
When officers reached the woman, she was still seated inside of the vehicle and was speaking with a couple of onlookers. It’s not clear if Parsons was one of the people the driver was speaking with.
According to the bystander who posted video on Twitter, the older woman behind the wheel appeared “confused.”
Police said that no injuries were reported, though the vehicle suffered "minor damage" and knocked over a planter and other items at the mall.
The woman was evaluated at the scene by officers and a mental health clinician, according to the police statement, before being transported to an area hospital for further evaluation.
No charges are being filed at this time. However, police have requested an Immediate Threat License Suspension from the Registry of Motor Vehicles. The missing bollard that allowed for her entrance into the mall will be replaced as soon as possible, police said.
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