JACKSONVILLE, Fla – Early Sunday morning, a vehicle crashed through the front of a Northside mattress store in Jacksonville, causing heavy damage.
Fawzy Khalil is the owner of Furniture Mattress Store on Dunn Avenue, which has been in business for 15 years. He said he and his family built the store from the ground up.
Jacksonville Fire and Rescue quickly put out a fire caused by a crash on Dunn Avenue, though the store’s front was left badly damaged.
Khalil arrived around 2 a.m. to see the damage and has been cleaning up the mess since. The smell of fire still lingers at the store.
Due to the damage, Khalil now faces huge repair costs to replace the glass front, damaged furniture, and store fixtures — all while losing income as the business remains closed during repairs.
Family members say it is Khalil’s only source of income.
So far, News4JAX is working to confirm more information about any arrests or details regarding the case with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office as they continue their investigation into what officers categorized as a hit-and-run incident.
JSO said it’s an active investigation. According to JSO, no arrests have been made.
The community has also started a GoFundMe to help Khalil rebuild his family business.
If anyone has information on this incident, call JSO at 904-630-0500 or Crime Stopper at 866-855-TIPS.