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Plows send snow flying through deli's windows

Posted at 10:26 PM, Nov 22, 2014
and last updated 2015-11-17 22:26:55-05

A well-known deli and cafe in Depew is struggling to re-open after plows smashed windows during the height of the storm.

When 7 Eyewitness News spoke to Willy Suleiman Thursday night, he was in shock. Plows driving by his business unintentionally smashed out his windows, causing unbelievable damage.

Surveillance video captured the blows blowing by his business on Broadway. The snow they were plowing went airborne and smashed through his windows.

He and his wife were in bed asleep when the storms were raging.

“She told me, ‘Let's go have a cup of coffee,’ where we sit in the same place all the time. And I told her 15 minutes more we sleep."

And he’s thankful he did. Had Suleiman gone to his store any sooner, he and his wife would have been in the store when the plows went by. Instead, they were still in bed when “all of a sudden: boom.”

Suleiman said the snow shattered every single storefront window to his deli.

“I thought somebody broke in because I live exactly behind the deli."

The only thing that had broken in was snow. Now his windows are boarded up as Suleiman waits for money from his insurance company to make repairs.

“Thank God we are alive. Otherwise, if this hit us, we would be dead.”

Despite the work ahead of him, Suleiman is staying positive and wants to re-open as quickly as he can.

The Suleiman family is also thanking Depew Mayor Steve Hoffman and the Depew Police Department for their quick response. He also says his neighbors, Lenny and Dennis, were quick to their rescue as well and helped them every step of the way.