More than ten people are injured and one person is said to have died after a car plowed through a crowded sidewalk in Times Square. New York City Police are describing it as a “mass casualty incident.” Witnesses at the scene are telling media outlets that they saw emergency personnel carry seven people away on stretchers and that one person died.
Emergency vehicles converge on New York’s Times Square
The incident happened during the busy lunch hour in Times Square, one of the busiest parts of New York City which is always bustling, although during the lunch hour, even more people are on the streets. Photos taken by witnesses and shared on social media show a maroon car leaning partially on its side against a light post.
Police shut down the intersection at 45th and Broadway in Times Square while they investigate. Witnesses say the vehicle jumped the curb at 7th Avenue and 45th Street. The New York Fire Department tweeted that at least lease 13 people are being treated at the scene.
A pedestrian who was injured in the incident told Reuters that it appeared as if the driver of the car drove onto the sidewalk and into the crowd intentionally. The witness reported seeing the vehicle go the wrong way down the street. Media outlets are reporting that New York City Police detained the driver.
A car is the new weapon of terror? Not this time
Many who are hearing about this incident may have wondered immediately after hearing the first report about whether this was a terrorist attack. However, WCBS-TV reports that New York City Police are not treating the incident as a terrorist attack. The TV station identified the man who was seen being led away by police as a Bronx resident who has a drunk driving record. Although authorities have not confirmed these details about the suspect, police are telling media outlets that the driver “lost control” of his vehicle and that they are treating it as an accident. A government official also told Reuters that there’s no evidence that the Times Square incident was an act of terror.
In March, many people were injured in a terrorist attack on Westminster Bridge near the Houses of Parliament when a car mowed through a crowd there.
Video of suspect being arrested:
https://twitter.com/PrisonPlanet/status/865242190007631872
Video of the car after crash:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uacPpODLZvI
Here are some exclusive photos from the scene
