NEW YORK, NY – A car barreled into a crowd of New Year’s Eve party-goers and police officers in New York City, leaving at least nine people injured. The incident unfolded near the iconic Madison Square Garden, on West 34th Street and 9th Avenue, as reported by the city’s Fire Department.
The driver, a man of 44 years, found himself in a disagreement with another party. As police officers stepped in to mediate, the man hastily jumped into his black SUV and fled the scene, leaving a trail of damaged police vehicles in his wake.
The man then drove onto the sidewalk, striking unsuspecting civilians and police officers before his vehicle finally came to a standstill. The chaos didn’t end there as the man’s vehicle hit a food truck, causing it to topple over a woman who was subsequently pinned beneath it.
The man was apprehended on the spot by the police. Both the suspect and the woman trapped under the food truck were rushed to Bellevue Hospital where they are reported to be in stable condition. A police officer, also injured in the melee, was transported to NYU-Langone with injuries that were non-life-threatening.
Officials declared the incident a mass casualty event, underscoring the gravity of the situation. The suspect is now in police custody, with investigations into the incident still ongoing.