Photo taken on May 18, 2017 shows the scene of a car crash incident at Times Square in New York City, the United States. One young woman was killed and 22 people injured after a car plowed into pedestrians in Times Square on Thursday, officials said. (Xinhua/Wang Ying)
NEW YORK, May 18 (Xinhua) -- The man who drove a car into a crowd in Times Square on Thursday was in custody, in which one was killed and 22 others injured, New York's mayor said.
Mayor Bill de Blasio told a news conference here that based on the information they had, "there is no indication that this was an act of terrorism."
The driver, 26-year-old Richard Rojas from the Bronx, served in the U.S. Navy and has a criminal record, the mayor said, adding that cause of the incident is under investigation.
"The car was driving at 80 or 85 m/h against traffic, and it came here, I said 'stop! stop! stop!'but it didn't," Abdul Hamid, owner of a food cart at the corner of Broadway and W45W street, told Xinhua.
The red Honda car crashed into a pole and came to rest at W45th Street and Broadway.
Officials said Rojas made a U-turn onto a sidewalk in Times Square. He drove on the sidewalk for there blacks, striking an 18-year-old woman who died of injuries.
The 22 injured are receiving treatment in nearby hospitals.
Consulate General of China in New York said in a statement that its officials had asked hospital authorities to provide injured pedestrians' information, adding that so far no Chinese nationals had been reportedly injured in the car incident.
According to police, the car driver is in custody, it is believed to be an isolated incident.
Times Square is a major commercial intersection, tourist destination in New York City. Hundreds of thousands of people, many of them tourists from around the world, pass daily through the commercial area, the heart of the Broadway theater district.
Police closed off the area after the incident.
