Apartment Manager Has Twice Seen Cars Crash Into Riviera Apartment Complex

Riviera Apartment Manager Marilyn Hartlauer has twice seen cars careen into buildings on the 50-year-old property off Maple Valley Highway in her seven years on the job.

But nothing compares to Thursday morning’s incident, she said, where she was called into work early after an older model gold Honda crashed into the Riviera’s administration building following a police chase that began around 4 a.m.

“I’m surprised he didn’t do more damage,” she said of the 37-year-old driver who bailed out of the car before it crashed through the all-glass entryway. “It’s like he was intentionally trying not to get hurt, or not to cause too much damage.”

The man fled from police, but was eventually cornered by Sheriff’s Deputies in the Cedar River. His passenger, a 21-year-old Renton woman, also fled but was soon caught by a Renton K-9 unit.

The first incident of a car crashing into a building at the apartment complex was far less spectacular, she said.

The crash occurred when an older man mistakenly hit the accelerator instead of the break pedal, which sent his car crashing into the main office building.

When asked what’s next, Hartlauer said, “We’re going to clean up and secure the building.”