One Dead As Speeding Car Plows Into Pedestrians, Police Rule Out Terrorism

New York: A speeding car plowed into pedestrians on a sidewalk in New York City's busy Times Square on Thursday, killing one person and injuring 22, and authorities said there was no indication it was an act of terrorism.

City officials said the dead woman was 18 years old. Witnesses said the motorist was driving against traffic before his burgundy Honda sedan mounted the sidewalk and struck pedestrians. The car hit a pole and came to rest at 45th Street and Broadway before police took the driver away. One woman was covered with a bloodstained blanket following the collision, which occurred close to noon local time at the Midtown Manhattan tourist venue. Shoes were scattered at the scene.

New York Mayor Bill de Blasio told reporters there was no indication it was an act of terrorism and that the driver had two previous arrests for drunk driving. Police identified the motorist as Richard Rojas, 26, of New York.

Many sidewalks in the Times Square area are lined with barricades and planters for fear of vehicle attacks on pedestrians of a sort seen in recent months in Britain, France, Germany and Sweden.