A car plowed into pedestrians at the busy tourist destination Times Square in New York today, killing one person and leaving 12 others injured, authorities said.
Amid fears of a possible terrorism link to the incident, the New York Police Department said it appears to be an "isolated incident" and is being investigated.
The driver of the car is in custody, the NYPD said. "One male in custody in the #TimesSquare vehicle collision. It is believed to be an isolated incident, it remains under investigation," it said in a tweet.
White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said US President Donald Trump "has been made aware" of the incident. Trump "will continue to receive updates", Spicer tweeted.
The NYPD said that "due to a vehicle collision" that resulted in injuries to pedestrians, emergency vehicles were in Times Square, the hugely crowded tourist destination in Manhattan.
Earlier, the Fire Department said one person died in the incident and 12 were injured.
Images on social media showed the car with a smoking hood slightly overturned on a barrier at a sidewalk in Times Square.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo was headed to the scene.
Emergency response crews, including ambulances and fire trucks, were on the scene, which had been cordoned off.
The crash occurred during lunchtime here with hundreds of thousands of people on the street. With the advent of summers, it is peak tourist time in one of the most popular destinations in the world.
The incident brought to mind similar ones across the world, including the terror attack in Nice, France when a large truck plowed through a Bastille Day crowd last year killing over 70 people. In December, a truck had plowed into a Christmas market in Berlin, killing 12 people and injuring about 50.
In 2010, Times Square was the target of an attempted car bombing. Pakistan-born Faisal Shahzad was arrested and charged with carrying out the failed terror plot.
Disclaimer: No Business Standard Journalist was involved in creation of this content
