A man was arrested on Thursday afternoon after his speeding vehicle struck a group of pedestrians on the sidewalk at Times Square, NY.
The FDNY has just confirmed the latest patient count, stating that there are 19 injuries in total and one fatality. According to CNBC, the incident happened around lunch time, when Times Square is usually filled with tourists and employees from nearby companies.
As of right now, the NYPD has stated that this is believed to be an isolated incident and not a terror attack, although it will of course remain under investigation.
The driver of the Accord allegedly has a history of DWI arrests, as reported by the NYTimes, and appeared to be either under the influence of drugs or dunk. Both conditions would indeed point towards this being an accident, although we’ll need to wait until the NYPD release more findings on their investigation.
New York Mayor Bill de Blasio is also expected to make himself available to the media – his statement will be made live on the NYC Mayor’s Office YouTube channel, so click here in order to tune in.
NEW: NYC Mayor de Blasio on Times Square crash: “There’s no indication that this was an act of terrorism” based off info they currently have pic.twitter.com/IVShgR9Xq1
— ABC News (@ABC) May 18, 2017
Mayor de Blasio called this a “very serious incident” and assured the public that authorities will learn a lot about what happened in the coming hours. One of the things we just learned is that the driver of the sedan not only has a criminal history, but is also a former member of the US Navy. His name is Richard Rojas, and is a 26-year old Bronx resident.
NYC Mayor de Blasio says man in custody for Times Square crash is a former member of the United States Navy with a criminal history. pic.twitter.com/wyVawOI1yS
— ABC News (@ABC) May 18, 2017
Driver in Times Square crash was high on K2 synthetic marijuana and had planned murder-suicide spree https://t.co/FKxfdyHwad
— Daily Mail US (@DailyMail) May 18, 2017
Update: NYPD Commissioner James P. O’Neill stated that the car struck a total of 23 people, leaving one dead and 22 injured, which were all moved to local hospitals.
Photos: FDNY/Twitter
Videos: Candace McCowan & ABC News
PHOTO GALLERY
VIDEO
Shocking moment driver ‘mowed down Times Square crowds after smoking pot’https://t.co/QPyt10Cq6B pic.twitter.com/ZPCdrqegEu
— Daily Mail US (@DailyMail) May 18, 2017
#BREAKING out of control car hits pedestrians in Times Square. @ABC7NY pic.twitter.com/VcfNRinqti
— Candace McCowan (@CandaceMcCowan7) May 18, 2017
Video shows car smoking after crashing into multiple pedestrians in Times Square; at least 1 killed, several injured https://t.co/SKADpyxi2j pic.twitter.com/xk0q9FbiDZ
— ABC News (@ABC) May 18, 2017