Man mows down pedestrians in N.Y.
NEW YORK — A man who appeared intoxicated drove his car the wrong way up a Times Square street Thursday and plowed into pedestrians on the sidewalk, killing one and injuring about 20 others, authorities and witnesses said. The driver was taken into custody and was being tested for alcohol.
Pandemonium erupted when the vehicle barrelled through the tourist location and came to rest with two of its wheels in the air. The car leaned on a lamppost and steel barriers intended to block vehicles from getting onto the sidewalk.
“He’s just mowing down people,” said Asa Lowe, of Brooklyn, who was standing outside a store when he heard screaming. “He didn’t stop. He just kept going,” he said.
The crash happened at midday on a hot, clear day that brought large crowds of people into the streets to enjoy the good weather.
After the car struck a barricade and stopped, the driver climbed out of his vehicle, Lowe said.
“He just started running until people tackled him down,” Lowe said. “Citizens just reacted.”
The 26-year-old driver from the Bronx was taken into custody and was undergoing tests for alcohol, a law enforcement official said. The man has a history of driving while intoxicated, according to the law enforcement official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation was ongoing.
The crash killed one person and injured 19 others, the Fire Department of New York confirmed. Police do not suspect a link to terrorism, but the bomb squad responded as a precaution.
Tourists Patrick and Kelly Graves of Sheboygan, Wis., 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 lying on the sidewalk.
Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo, along with police and city officials, were at the scene of the crash.
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, though, is far from a complete defence. There are many areas where vehicles could be driven onto packed sidewalks or public plazas.