The driver of a stolen vehicle struck several pedestrians near Grand Central Station in Manhattan on Tuesday, causing 10 non-life-threatening injuries, according to police and fire department officials.
The incident, which was followed by the arrest of the 20-year-old motorist, took place at about 5:30 p.m as throngs of New Yorkers headed home during a rush-hour commute.
“It’s 42nd and Lexington, it’s extremely busy at 5:30 in the afternoon,” FDNY Deputy Chief Mario Thompkins said in an interview. “You can only imagine the amount of pedestrians out here at any given time.”
Police officers were alerted to reports of a vehicle stolen from the Bronx yesterday and proceeded to follow, NYPD Deputy Chief James Kehoe said in a press conference. After initially slowing to pull over, the motorist then turned back onto Lexington Avenue and struck a bicyclist, collided with another vehicle, and then mounted the sidewalk — hitting several pedestrians while trying to make a U-turn, Kehoe said.
The car then collided with another car while driving up the wrong way on Lexington, he said. The driver was then detained by civilians until police could arrest him.
Carlos Cabrera, 54, who works for Grand Central Partnership, said he was standing near the intersection on 42nd street when he saw a red car driving down Lexington Avenue. Police were trailing with their sirens on, he said.
“The red car went to the left, past a bus, and then hit a taxi, then went onto the sidewalk and hit people waiting to cross,” said Cabrera.
The most severe injury was a fractured ankle, according to Thompkins.
In 2017, one person died and 22 were injured after a speeding car drove up a sidewalk in New York’s heavily congested Times Square. Richard Rojas, the driver, was cleared of charges last year due to mental illness.
--With assistance from Laura Nahmias and Amanda Gordon.
(Updates with description of the incident from NYPD.)
