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MANHATTAN (CN) – A car speeding the wrong way up Seventh Avenue hit pedestrians in Times Square, killing a young woman and injuring 23 others, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio confirmed Thursday.
After police took the unidentified driver of the red Honda into custody, emergency crews worked to clean up the wreckage of his car. Perched atop a cement security post on the sidewalk at 45th Street and Broadway, the car stood at a near 45-degree angle, its two passenger-side wheels midair and the driver’s door ajar.
Reports say the driver had tried to make a run for it after the crash, but was quickly apprehended by NYPD officers.
“Based on the information we have at this moment, there is no indication that this was an act of terrorism,” Mayor de Blasio said at an afternoon press conference.
Though still investigating the crash on what is also the hottest day of the year, the NYPD said it is treating the collision as an isolated incident.
The Associated Press reported sources saying that the 26-year-old driver is from the Bronx and has two prior arrests for drunken driving. Victims injured in the crash are being treated at Bellevue Hospital.
As crews work to clean the collision site, Seventh Ave is closed in both directions from West 42 Street to West 57th Street.
“This is a tough day for New York City, but I want to thank our first responders who got here so quickly,” de Blasio said.
“We feel deeply for those injured and particularly for the family of the young woman who was lost,” he added. “Our prayers are with all of them.”
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