Police on the Scene of Partial Building Collapse in Albany

Update 8/19/22 2:56pm: NewsChannel 13 reports that police believe it was a car that crashed into the building and then took off. They are looking at surveillance video from cameras nearby to try and identify the car and driver. Structural engineers who inspected the building say it not not in danger of collapsing.

What happened to the building at the corner of Washington Avenue and Ontario Street in Albany? That's what police are asking as they roped off the area and brought in city engineers.

On the right side of the above photo, the outer wall of the building looks to be heavily damaged. The wall looked fine on Thursday, but something happened overnight that police and structural engineers looking for answers.

The building, at 550 Washington Avenue, is home to the Essential Trends hair salon. The damage happened on the Ontario Street side, which is located directly across from an Exxon gas station.

So what do the police think happened? They're checking it out, but told CBS 6 they're not ruling out the possibility that a car drove into the wall during the overnight hours.

Nobody was in the building when it happened and no injuries were reported. Police haven't said whether they have any surveillance video, either from the gas station or the building, but will likely be reviewing it if its available.

The building remains behind police caution tape at the moment and the sidewalk adjacent to the structure is closed as structural engineers try and figure out the extent of the damage. No word yet on if the building itself is compromised, but police are keeping pedestrians at bay just in case.

If you were in the area last night and think you may have any info that would help figure out this mystery, please contact Albany Police.