Police secure an are near a car after it plunged into pedestrians in Times Square in New York on May 18, 2017. PHOTO: AFP
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 22 others injured in what officials said was an accident.
The incident sparked instant jitters after recent deadly car-ramming 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.
There is no indication at this point that the incident in #TimesSquare is related to terrorism. More information to follow.
— NYPD NEWS (@NYPDnews) May 18, 2017
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 the 26-year-old man driving the vehicle was in custody.
NYPD police officers and civilians apprehended the driver. #TimesSquare
— NYPD NEWS (@NYPDnews) May 18, 2017
The Fire Department confirmed one person had died and 22 people were hurt in the incident.
The 22 people injured have been brought to area hospitals. NYPD detectives from multiple units are investigating the incident. #TimesSquare
— NYPD NEWS (@NYPDnews) May 18, 2017
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, an AFP photographer said.
The vehicle was on fire as pedestrians lay on the ground and passers-by cried, the photographer said. He saw one person covered up with a white cloth.
Police directed traffic as passers-by looked on anxiously.
"Preliminarily it looks more like a vehicle accident than anything else," a New York police spokesman said.
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Famous across the world for its bright lights and advertising billboards, Times Square is typically packed with tourists and office workers. It lies in the heart of Midtown Manhattan and leads to Broadway, New York's famed theater district.
Times Square was the scene of the most serious security alert in America's most populous city since the September 11, 2001 attacks.
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