image description
The former Johnny's Beach Club on Wahconah Street in Pittsfield was hit by a pickup truck on Wednesday, severely damaging the building.

Truck Crashes Into Former Johnny's Beach Club

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
Print Story | Email Story

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — A pickup truck crashed into the former Johnny’s Beach Club on Wednesday night, taking down the front of the building.

The crash into the empty building at 87 Wahconah St. occurred at about 9:50 p.m. 

Two people who were in the vehicle were taken to Berkshire Medical Center for minor injuries and the city's building inspectors were notified.

A photo posted to Facebook by a resident showed a white pickup with its front end in the building and its back end on the sidewalk.

The brick addition on the front of the building where the accident occurred was destroyed and surrounded with caution tape. It had previously been in disrepair. 


Johnny’s Beach Club has been closed for a number of years and in 2019, the owners opted to put it on the market.  The bar, which was sold to new owners in 2017, faced multiple sanctions in the past from the Licensing Board for various incidents.

In 2015, a 20-year-old man was shot in the foot at the establishment and it was forced to close at midnight.

Last month, attorney Jeffrey Lynch told the board that a plan to demolish the building to make way for a mixed-use structure was not moving forward. He said the owners were now trying to sell the liquor license. The owner is listed as 87 Wahconah St. LLC and the 1910 building and property were assessed at $176,000.

The owners were given two months to make a sale or the liquor license will be rescinded.

The accident is being investigated by Sgt. Marc Maddalena of the Traffic Division. Anyone with information is asked to call 413-448-9700.


Tags: MVI,   

If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

Trial Scheduled for North Adams Woman Accused of Killing Grandmother

Staff reportsiBerkshires

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — A 2027 trial date is scheduled for a woman accused of killing her grandmother in North Adams four years ago. 

A jury trial for Kelsie Cote is set for May 24, 2027, in Berkshire Superior Court. 

Cote, 30, is alleged to have killed 74-year-old Doris A. Cote, who was found dead with sharp and blunt force injuries in her Church Street, North Adams, home on Nov. 1, 2022. 

Cote has pleaded not guilty to five felony charges: murder, armed assault to murder a person age 60 or older, two counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon of a person age 60 or older, and one count of withholding evidence from official proceedings.

Hearings for evidence suppression will be held on Nov. 30 and Dec. 1. 

A conference to review the case's status was held on Sept. 28. Assistant District Attorney Marianne Shelvey, representing the Berkshire County District Attorney's Office, filed a motion to impound certain documents, which was allowed by Judge Maureen Hogan. 

Cote is represented by attorney Kevin Joseph Reddington, who is also the defense lawyer for Lindsay Clancy, a Duxbury woman accused of killing her three children in 2023. Cote's case has reportedly been delayed because of the seven-week Clancy trial in Plymouth County, which ended in a mistrial on Sept. 4.

The Berkshire Eagle reported that Reddington told the court he seeks to suppress Cote's statements because he argues she was not read her Miranda rights, and that he will file motions to suppress evidence found during the execution of a search warrant, arguing that the police did not have probable cause. 

Allegations include: 

  • On or about Oct. 26 and on Nov. 1, Cote allegedly altered, destroyed, mutilated, or concealed a record, document, or other object or attempted to do so to impair the record, document, or object's integrity for use in an official proceeding. 
View Full Story

More Pittsfield Stories