Seven pedestrians injured as car ploughs into crowd in Midtown Manhattan

A 29-year-old woman, who has not been named, went on a car crash rampage across New York City on Sunday, according to the NYPD

Rachel Sharp
Monday 21 August 2023 14:20 BST
Aftermath of the moment a car rammed a group of people in Midtown Manhattan
Aftermath of the moment a car rammed a group of people in Midtown Manhattan (CBS New York)

Seven pedestrians have been injured after a car ploughed into a crowd of people in the heart of Manhattan.

The shocking incident unfolded on Sunday night when a 29-year-old woman, who has not been named, went on a car crash rampage across New York City, according to the NYPD.

Police said that the woman first drove her Honda Accord through a red light on East 36th Street and Sixth Avenue in Midtown Manhattan just before midnight, slamming into a group of people who were walking along the crosswalk at the time.

Six men aged 24 to 61 and one 34-year-old woman were struck and wounded, with their injuries ranging from stable to critical.

Six of the victims were rushed to hospital while the seventh refused treatment.

Following the crash, the driver allegedly fled the scene in her car, driving through the Midtown Tunnel and into Queens.

Sometime later after leaving the tunnel, she was involved in a three-car crash on the Long Island Expressway, police said.

No one was injured in this crash and the drivers of the two other vehicles were able to drive off in the aftermath.

Police said that the woman – from Belle Mead, New Jersey – was arrested and taken to the North Shore University Hospital.

She is currently undergoing a mental health evaluation with police saying she did not appear to be under the influence at the time.

Her identity is currently unknown.

Aftermath of the moment a car rammed a group of people in Midtown Manhattan (CBS New York)

It is also unclear what charges she may face and what events may have led up to the incident.

Witnesses of the Midtown Manhattan crash described a chaotic scene where they initially thought there had been a shooting.

“I came into the scene, there was people strung out. I thought there was a shooting,” filmmaker Connor Hopkins told CBS New York.

“One of the people on our team was a medic, thank God, and was one of the first people there. Did triage until the medics got there.”

The Independent has reached out to the NYPD for further treatment.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in