May 18th ─ one woman is dead and 2 dozen others are injured after the driver of a car drove up the sidewalk in the middle of Times Square in New York City on Thursday. The car jumped the sidewalk on the west side of 7th Avenue at 42nd Street and slammed into pedestrians for three blocks before crashing at the northwest corner of 45th Street, police said. One person, an 18-year old woman from Michigan, was pronounced dead at the scene. Her 13-year old sister, who was with her at the time, was injured in the incident as well. “Four other people were critically injured after sustaining multiple fractures and traumas”, Daniel P. Nigro, the fire commissioner said.

Witnesses described their horror at seeing a car race through the area, which was crowded with tourists, workers and other passers-by. Witness Annie Donahue told news reporters, "I was walking toward the subway station and the sidewalk that I was on was super crowded. Last minute I decided I was gunna cross the street ... I turn around because someone screamed; ‘There’s this red car, full speed, careening down the sidewalk!’ I looked back and she was in a pile on the street," Donahue continued, "It could've been me. I wouldn't be here now if I hadn't crossed the street. It happened too fast."

Though initially thought of as an act of terror, police said the driver is in custody and that this is believed to be an isolated incident. The driver was identified by police as Richard Rojas, 26, of the Bronx, a driver with a history of drunken driving arrests. Rojas, a Navy veteran, was arrested for drunken driving twice, in Queens in 2008, and in Manhattan in 2015, officials said. He was also recently arrested for menacing.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who was at the scene, said in a statement, "Today’s events at Times Square were nothing short of horrific. I was briefed at the scene by Commissioner James O'Neill and saw firsthand the professionalism and diligence of New York’s first responders. As facts continue to emerge, my heart goes out to the victims of this terrible tragedy, as well as their families." Times Square averaged about 360,000 daily visitors in April, according to a tally by the Times Square Alliance, making it one of the most visited locations in the world.

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