1 DEAD, twenty two INJURED AFTER CAR CRASHES INTO TIMES SQUARE CROWD
One person is dead and numerous others are injured after a car crashed into a crowd near Times Square.
A woman was killed and twenty two people injured when a car slammed into a crowd in Fresh York’s Times Square on Thursday, authorities said.
Police said the driver, Richard Rojas, was taken into custody and was being given a breathalyzer test. Photos from the scene displayed numerous victims on the ground near the maroon Honda sedan, which came to rest on two wheels, wedged up against a light pole and metal barriers. It was not instantly clear what caused the crash.
“There is no indication that this was an act of terrorism,” Mayor Bill de Blasio said. “That being said, we are reinforcing key locations around the city with our anti-terror units of NYPD.”
A wrecked car sits in the intersection of 45th and Broadway in Times Square, May Eighteen, two thousand seventeen in Fresh York City. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Pics)
A wrecked car sits in the intersection of 45th and Broadway in Times Square, May Legitimate, two thousand seventeen in Fresh York City. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Pictures)
A wrecked car sits in the intersection of 45th and Broadway in Times Square, May Legal, two thousand seventeen in Fresh York City. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Pics)
A car has struck pedestrians in Times Square, killing at least one perosn, according to NYPD.
Police secure an are near a car after it plunged into pedestrians in Times Square in Fresh York on May Legal, 2017. A speeding car struck pedestrians in Fresh York’s Times Square on. (JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Pics)
De Blasio lauded the quick efforts of police, fire and emergency medical teams. But he added: “It’s a raunchy day for Fresh York City.”
Rojas, 26, is a Bronx resident, U.S. citizen and Navy veteran, the mayor said. NYPD Commissioner Jame O’Neill said Rojas had two prior DUI arrests.
Fresh York Fire Commissioner Daniel Nigro said four people were critically injured but were expected to sustain. Police and fire officials closed off an area of several blocks.
White House spokesman Sean Spicer said President Trump was made aware of the incident.
Brooklyn resident Asa Lowe was standing outside the Levi’s store liking the weather when he heard screaming. He turned around and spotted the car hitting people on the sidewalk.
He says the driver was “just mowing down people. He didn’t stop.”
Tourists Patrick and Kelly Graves of Sheboygan, Wisconsin, were waiting to get on a tour bus when they heard the crash.
Kelly Graves said she feared the worst, maybe a bomb, as “chaos” erupted and people began running. People rushed to help the injured, who were lounging on the sidewalk.
The sidewalks in many parts of Times Square and surrounding blocks are lined with metal posts designed to prevent cars from getting onto the sidewalks and other public areas.
That network of barricades, tho’, is far from a accomplish defense. There are many areas where vehicles could be driven onto packed sidewalks or public plazas.
Times Square also has a strong police presence at all hours of the day and night.