It is not every day that a display vehicle inside a mall crashes into a glass barrier and nearly falls onto businesses below. Such an incident did take place in China, where a black Mercedes-Benz 350L GLC SUV reversed into the railing and the escalator, causing damage.

Driving incidents that occur indoors are extremely rare, and this is the first one I’ve come across. After all, a mall is not a place where people normally drive around, but it turns out that some dealerships in China allow customers to sit behind the wheel inside a mall with the vehicle turned on.

That is what led to the incident, according to a video shared by the South China Morning Post on YouTube. The incident occurred on August 23 inside a mall in northern China’s Hebei province. The Mercedes SUV was on display on what appears to be the first floor.

A customer’s actions reportedly caused the vehicle to reverse and crash into the glass barrier. It is not clear if the driver had already purchased the vehicle or was exploring the SUV’s interior. Either way, the customer accidentally pressed the accelerator, causing the SUV to move backward, likely because the vehicle was in reverse rather than drive.

Image Credit: South China Morning Post / YouTube

It is not known why the Mercedes was turned on inside an enclosed space like a mall with many people around. Fortunately, the vehicle’s emergency brake prevented a much more serious accident, stopping the SUV at the edge of the floor. Although the railing and glass were broken, the potential harm to people and property could have been much more serious if the vehicle had crashed onto the floor below.

Falling debris damaged an ice cream shop on the ground floor that was exactly underneath the SUV, and a staff member reportedly suffered minor injuries. Footage of the aftermath shows the exposed underside of the Mercedes from the floor below, highlighting how close the vehicle got to falling over.

Incidents like this highlight the need for extra caution when operating a vehicle indoors, especially when multiple people are inspecting it as part of a potential purchase. Mercedes-Benz has not released a statement about the incident.