1 killed, 22 hurt by car in Times Square
NEW YORK — A man steered his car onto a sidewalk running through the heart of Times Square and mowed down pedestrians for three blocks Thursday, killing a teenager, and then emerged from his wrecked vehicle wild-eyed and waving his arms before he was subdued by police and bystanders.
The driver, a 26-year-old U.S. Navy veteran, told offi- cers he was hearing voices and expected to die, according to two law enforcement officials.
Helpless pedestrians had little time to react as the vehi- cle barreled down the sidewalk and through intersections before smashing into a row of steel security barriers installed in recent years to prevent vehicle attacks on the square where massive crowds gather every New Year’s Eve. The car came to rest with its two right wheels in the air.
“He didn’t stop,” said Asa Lowe, of Brooklyn, who was standing outside a store when he heard screaming as people scattered. “He just kept going.”
Police said 23 people were hit by the car, including an 18-year-old woman who died. The woman’s 13-year-old sister was among the injured.
The carnage raised imme- diate fears of a terrorist attack, but investigators quickly turned their focus to the sobriety and mental health of the driver, identi- fied as Bronx resident Richard Rojas.
“There is no indication that this was an act of terrorism,” Mayor Bill de Blasio said.
Rojas initially tested negative for alcohol, but more detailed testing was being done to determine if he was inebriated, according to two law enforcement officials who were not authorized to speak publicly.
The officials said Rojas told officers he had been hearing voices.
A week ago, Rojas also had been arrested and charged with pointing a knife at a notary, whom he accused of stealing his identity.
He was arrested on charges of driving while intoxicated in 2008 and 2015, Police Commissioner James O’Neill said.
As Rojas ran from his wrecked vehicle, Ken Bradix, a door host supervisor at Planet Hollywood, struck him to get him to stop, said Alpha Balde, a sightseeing-ticket seller.
He and Bradix jumped on top of Rojas, lifted his shirt to make sure he had no weapons and held him until police arrived moments later, Balde said.