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Video captures moment Sayville’s iconic clock was struck

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Caught on video.

It was an accident, and there’s a solid chance the driver didn’t even realize he had hit something.

But the evidence is irrefutable. Live video stream footage released this week by the Greater Sayville Chamber of Commerce shows the exact moment a Ryder rental truck struck the iconic Sayville clock this summer.

Check out the footage below from the bright and sunny morning of July 30. Right around the :11 second mark, you’ll notice that the back end of the truck makes contact with the head of the clock, knocking it off kilter a bit. Never mind your volume controls — there’s no audio.

The 9:02 a.m. collision, albeit a solid nudge, was in fact enough to nearly dislodge the clock head from the green post. Six of the eight bolts that kept the clock anchored to the post were destroyed.

Greater Sayville Chamber of Commerce President Eileen Tyznar noticed the clock was tilted and had the head separated from the post and stored in a warehouse for safety precautions, just before Summerfest in August.

After reviewing many hours of video from a live-stream camera set up on Main Street, the chamber spotted the Ryder truck hitting the clock. It was later learned that its operator had parked there to make a liquor delivery nearby.

Eileen Tyznar

“After I combed through hours of video, I was relieved to find out who had hit the clock,” Tyznar said. “Then, with the help of Five Points Café and the (Suffolk County Police) Fifth Precinct, we were able to track them down.

“Right now, we are working with the Nassau County liquor company that made the delivery and going through their insurance,” she continued. “It is our hope that either the clock will get repaired and if it cannot be repaired, we will be purchasing an exact replica of the clock that currently exists.”

Tyznar emphasized that the chamber is pushing to have a clock back on Main Street in time for the December holidays.

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