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Robert Delaney

A car driven by a US Navy veteran slammed into a crowd in New York’s Times Square on Thursday, killing one person, injuring 22 and causing the city to mobilise anti-terror units out of an “abundance of caution”.
Terrorism was later ruled out as a motive, the driver having told police he had been hearing voices in his head, two law enforcement officials said.
“Based on the information we have at this moment, there is no indication that this was an act of terrorism,” New York City Mayor Bill DeBlasio told reporters at the scene. “This is preliminary information. There’s a lot we’re going to learn in the coming hours.”
Watch: Videos captures moment of impact of Time Square crash


The driver, 26-year-old New York resident Richard Rojas, struck 23 people as he sped along a Broadway sidewalk from 42nd street to 45th street, killing one woman, said New York Police Department Commissioner James O’Neill. Rojas was taken into custody at the scene.
One of those hit by Rojas did not require treatment.
The dead woman was identified as 18-year-old Alyssa Elsman, a tourist from Michigan. Her 13-year-old sister was also struck by the car, but survived, police said.
After the wreck, Rojas emerged from his vehicle running, yelling and jumping before being subdued by police and bystanders in a chaotic scene.
“He began screaming, no particular words but just utter screaming. He was swinging his arms at the same time, said Ken Bradix, a security supervisor at a nearby Planet Hollywood restaurant who tackled Rojas.
He had been arrested twice previously for driving under the influence of alcohol, O’Neill said. Two officials said Rojas initially tested negative for alcohol after Thursday’s crash, but ABC News cited unidentified police sources as saying Rojas had apparently been high on synthetic marijuana.


“I saw the car coming in fast, no brake, no nothing,” said Alpha Balde, 57, who was touting sightseeing bus tours near the scene. “There are so many people here and no one had any time to react.”
Balde said he and Bradix stopped Rojas from fleeing the scene and restrained him until police arrived.

One male in custody in the #TimesSquare vehicle collision.
It is believed to be an isolated incident, it remains under investigation.
— NYPD NEWS (@NYPDnews) May 18, 2017

<![CDATA[// ><!]]>

Memories of recent attacks by religious extremists involving vehicles careening into crowds fuelled concern among bystanders that today’s incident, which took place near midday in summer-like heat, had placed them in the midst of a terror attack.
“My immediate concern was terrorism,” said Michael Eck, a publicist with Proctors Theatre in Schenectady, New York, who said he exited his hotel near the scene of the carnage as emergency vehicles began to arrive. “We were very relieved to eventually learn that this wasn’t terrorism.”

More than 80 people died when a large truck plowed through a Bastille Day crowd in Nice, France last year. An Islamic State media outlet claimed that the driver was a “soldier” of the group, according to a report in The Telegraph.
On March 22, a knife-wielding assailant driving a sport utility vehicle drove into pedestrians near London’s iconic Houses of Parliament, killing four of them, and stabbed a police officer. UK authorities determined that the incident was “inspired by international terrorism,” according to the newspaper.
Additional reporting by Associated Press and Reuters

US Navy veteran was ‘hearing voices’ when he drove into Times Square crowd in New York,  killing one

epa05972788 Emergency workers help an injured woman after multiple pedestrians were struck by a vehicle in Times Square in New York, New York, USA, 18 May 2017. Reports indicated that the vehicle was possibly speeding when it drove up onto the sidewalk striking the pedestrians. EPA/JUSTIN LANE

Emergency workers work at the scene after multiple people were injured when a car plowed into pedestrians in Times Square in New York City, New York. Authorities said there was no indication it was an act of terrorism. Photo: EPA

Four dead, 15 injured as car strikes pedestrians in Melbourne

Police and emergency services gather at the scene after a car is believed to have hit pedestrians in Bourke Street Mall in Melbourne, Australia. Photo: AP

British police arrest eight people after ‘depraved’ terrorist kills three and wounds 40 in London attack

Press Association news agency photos believed to be of the knifeman lying on an ambulance stretcher showed a burly man with black clothes and a beard. Photo: PA

A video grab obtained from the Twitter account of James West, shows a car stopped on the sidewalk in front of the Palace of Westminster which houses the Houses of Parliament in central London on March 22, 2017 during an incident. British police shot a suspected attacker outside the Houses of Parliament in London after an officer was stabbed in what police said was a "terrorist" incident. The building in the heart of the British capital was immediately sealed off and MPs and staff ordered to remain inside. TV pictures showed traffic halted on the nearby Westminster Bridge and emergency vehicles swarming around. The busy bridge was completely shut off to traffic. / AFP PHOTO / Handout / James WEST / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY CREDIT "AFP PHOTO / James West" - NO MARKETING NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS

A man is treated by emergency services, as a knife lies on the floor, with police looking on at the scene outside the Houses of Parliament London, Wednesday, March 22, 2017. London police say they are treating a gun and knife incident at Britain's Parliament "as a terrorist incident until we know otherwise." The Metropolitan Police says in a statement that the incident is ongoing. It is urging people to stay away from the area. Officials say a man with a knife attacked a police officer at Parliament and was shot by officers. Nearby, witnesses say a vehicle struck several people on the Westminster Bridge. (Stefan Rousseau/PA via AP).

Emergency services transport an injured person to an ambulance, close to the Houses of Parliament in London, Wednesday, March 22, 2017. London police say they are treating a gun and knife incident at Britain's Parliament "as a terrorist incident until we know otherwise." The Metropolitan Police says in a statement that the incident is ongoing. Officials say a man with a knife attacked a police officer at Parliament and was shot by officers. Nearby, witnesses say a vehicle struck several people on the Westminster Bridge. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham)

A policeman points a gun at a man on the floor as emergency services attend the scene outside the Palace of Westminster, London, Wednesday, March 22, 2017. London police say they are treating a gun and knife incident at Britain's Parliament "as a terrorist incident until we know otherwise." The Metropolitan Police says in a statement that the incident is ongoing. It is urging people to stay away from the area. Officials say a man with a knife attacked a police officer at Parliament and was shot by officers. Nearby, witnesses say a vehicle struck several people on the Westminster Bridge. (Stefan Rousseau/PA via AP).

Undated handout photo released by Metropolitan Police on Wednesday, March 22, 2017 of police officer Keith Palmer who was killed during the attack on the Houses of Parliament in London. A knife-wielding man went on a deadly rampage in the heart of Britain's seat of power Wednesday, plowing a car into pedestrians on London's Westminster Bridge before stabbing a police officer to death inside the gates of Parliament. Five people were killed, including the assailant, and 40 others were injured in what Prime Minister Theresa May condemned as a "sick and depraved terrorist attack." (Metropolitan Police via AP)

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Terrorism is ruled out in incident involving Richard Rojas, 26, who is subdued by bystanders after speeding down a sidewalk for three blocks


.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Terrorism is ruled out in incident involving Richard Rojas, 26, who is subdued by bystanders after speeding down a sidewalk for three blocks

Terrorism is ruled out in incident involving Richard Rojas, 26, who is subdued by bystanders after speeding down a sidewalk for three blocks