Car Slams Into Times Square Pedestrians, Killing 1, Injuring 22

Car Slams Into Times Square Pedestrians, Killing 1, Injuring 22
First responders tend to injured pedestrians after a vehicle struck pedestrians on a sidewalk in Times Square in New York, U.S., May 18, 2017. (REUTERS/Lucas Jackson)
Reuters
5/18/2017
Updated:
5/19/2017

NEW YORK—A speeding car plowed into pedestrians on a sidewalk in New York City’s busy Times Square on Thursday, killing one person and injuring 22, and authorities said there was no indication it was an act of terrorism.

Witnesses said the motorist was driving against traffic before his burgundy Honda sedan mounted the sidewalk and struck pedestrians. The car hit a pole and came to rest at 45th Street and Broadway before police took the driver away.

One woman was covered with a bloodstained blanket following the collision, which occurred close to noon at the Midtown Manhattan tourist venue, a Reuters witness said. Shoes were scattered at the scene.

NYPD officers gesture to the crowd to step back after a vehicle struck pedestrians on the sidewalk in Times Square, New York, on May 18, 2017. (Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times)
NYPD officers gesture to the crowd to step back after a vehicle struck pedestrians on the sidewalk in Times Square, New York, on May 18, 2017. (Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times)

New York Mayor Bill de Blasio told reporters there was no indication it was an act of terrorism and that the driver had two previous arrests for drunk driving. Police identified the motorist as Richard Rojas, 26, of New York.

City officials said the dead woman was 18 years old.

Hundreds of thousands of people, many of them tourists from around the world, pass daily through the bustling commercial area, the heart of the Broadway theater district.

Police heavily patrol the area. Many sidewalks are lined with barricades and planters for fear of vehicle attacks on pedestrians of a sort seen in recent months in Britain, France, Germany and Sweden.

The scene surrounding the area where a vehicle struck pedestrians and crashed in Times Square, New York, on May 18, 2017. (Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times)
The scene surrounding the area where a vehicle struck pedestrians and crashed in Times Square, New York, on May 18, 2017. (Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times)

People attend to an injured man after a car plunged into a crowd in Times Square in New York on May 18, 2017. (JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images)
People attend to an injured man after a car plunged into a crowd in Times Square in New York on May 18, 2017. (JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images)
A vehicle that struck pedestrians and later crashed is seen on the sidewalk in New York City on May 18, 2017. (REUTERS/Mike Segar)
A vehicle that struck pedestrians and later crashed is seen on the sidewalk in New York City on May 18, 2017. (REUTERS/Mike Segar)
The scene surrounding the area where a vehicle struck pedestrians and crashed in Times Square, New York, on May 18, 2017. (Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times)
The scene surrounding the area where a vehicle struck pedestrians and crashed in Times Square, New York, on May 18, 2017. (Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times)
The scene surrounding the area where a vehicle struck pedestrians and crashed in Times Square, New York, on May 18, 2017. (Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times)
The scene surrounding the area where a vehicle struck pedestrians and crashed in Times Square, New York, on May 18, 2017. (Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times)
The scene surrounding the area where a vehicle struck pedestrians and crashed in Times Square, New York, on May 18, 2017. (Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times)
The scene surrounding the area where a vehicle struck pedestrians and crashed in Times Square, New York, on May 18, 2017. (Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times)
An NYPD officer with his K-9 unit inspects the area near where a vehicle struck pedestrians and crashed in Times Square, New York, on May 18, 2017. (Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times)
An NYPD officer with his K-9 unit inspects the area near where a vehicle struck pedestrians and crashed in Times Square, New York, on May 18, 2017. (Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times)
An NYPD officer at the scene surrounding the area where a vehicle struck pedestrians and crashed in Times Square, New York, on May 18, 2017. (Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times)
An NYPD officer at the scene surrounding the area where a vehicle struck pedestrians and crashed in Times Square, New York, on May 18, 2017. (Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times)
The scene surrounding the area where a vehicle struck pedestrians and crashed in Times Square, New York, on May 18, 2017. (Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times)
The scene surrounding the area where a vehicle struck pedestrians and crashed in Times Square, New York, on May 18, 2017. (Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times)
NYPD officers at the scene surrounding the area where a vehicle struck pedestrians and crashed in Times Square, New York, on May 18, 2017. (Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times)
NYPD officers at the scene surrounding the area where a vehicle struck pedestrians and crashed in Times Square, New York, on May 18, 2017. (Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times)
The scene surrounding the area where a vehicle struck pedestrians and crashed in Times Square, New York, on May 18, 2017. (Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times)
The scene surrounding the area where a vehicle struck pedestrians and crashed in Times Square, New York, on May 18, 2017. (Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times)