One dead as car hits crowd in Times Square

NEW YORK: A car plowed into a crowd of pedestrians in New York’s bustling Times Square on Thursday, leaving one person dead and at least 19 others injured in what officials said was an accident.

The incident sparked instant jitters after recent deadly carramming attacks in London, Berlin and the French city of Nice, but officials said early evidence did not point to a terror link. “It is believed to be an isolated incident, it remains under investigation,” New York police said on Twitter. Firefighters said the accident took place at 45th Street and Broadway in Times Square at the start of the lunch hour.

A police source said that the 26-year-old man driving the vehicle was in custody. The Fire Department confirmed one person had died and 19 people were hurt in the incident.

The maroon sedan vehicle, travelling at high speed, crashed into the group of people and ended up flipping onto its side on the sidewalk, before ambulances and police descended on the area.

The vehicle was on fire as pedestrians lay on the ground and passers-by cried, the photographer said. Famous across the world for its bright lights and advertising billboards, Times Square is typically packed with tourists and office workers.