A man in a rented pickup truck drove onto a busy bicycle path near the World Trade Center memorial and mowed down people Tuesday, killing at least eight and injuring several others in what the mayor called “a particularly cowardly act of terror.”
The driver has been identified by ABC News as Sayfullo Saipov, 29, from Tampa.
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- 8 dead
- 12 injured
- Incident happened on bike path near World Trade Center
Witnesses described a scene of panic and blood, with people screaming in fear and the path strewn with mangled bicycles and bodies that was soon covered with sheets. In addition to those killed, 11 people were seriously injured, police said.
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Footage from Otto Smotrys of alleged suspect in #Tribeca pic.twitter.com/MumRyfk4dV
— Maddie Clark (@maaddieclaark) October 31, 2017
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo called it a “lone wolf” attack and said there was no evidence to suggest it was part of a wider plot.
Cities around the globe have been on alert against attacks by extremists in vehicles. The Islamic State has been encouraging its followers to mow down people, and England, France and Germany have all seen deadly vehicle attacks in recent months and years.
We must not allow ISIS to return, or enter, our country after defeating them in the Middle East and elsewhere. Enough!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 31, 2017
My heart breaks for #NYC today. Thoughts & prayers as we monitor the situation.
— Melania Trump (@FLOTUS) October 31, 2017
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Police said the vehicle, a rented Home Depot truck, entered the bike path on West Street a few blocks from the new World Trade Center — the site of the deadliest terror attack in U.S. history — and mowed down several people. The truck also slammed into a small yellow school bus, injuring two adults and two children.
A paintball gun and a pellet gun were found at the scene, police said.
“This was an act of terror, and a particularly cowardly act of terror aimed at innocent civilians,” Mayor Bill de Blasio said.
At least two bodies could be seen lying on the path beneath tarps, and the front end of the pickup was smashed in.
Tom Gay, a school photographer, was on Warren Street and heard people saying there was an accident. He went down to West Street and a woman came around the corner shouting, “He has a gun! He has a gun!”
Gay said he stuck his head around the corner and saw a slender man in a blue track suit running southbound on West Street holding a gun. He said there was a heavyset man pursuing him.
He said he heard five or six shots and the man in the tracksuit fell to the ground, gun still raised in the air. He said a man came over and kicked the gun out of his hand.
The attack closed roads across the western edge of Manhattan along the Hudson River and sent uniformed officers rushing to the neighborhood as people prepared for Halloween festivities, including an annual parade through Greenwich Village.
Eugene Duffy, 43, a chef at a waterfront restaurant, said he was crossing West Street when he heard something, turned back and saw the white pickup on the bike path.
After seeing the mangled bikes, he ran south, seeing the school bus that appeared to have been T-boned, and officers at the scene, guns drawn, ducked behind patrol cars.
“So many police came and they didn’t know what was happening,” Duffy said. “People were screaming. Females were screaming at the top of their lungs.”
Uber driver Chen Yi said he saw a truck plow into people on a popular bike path adjacent to the West Side Highway. He said he then heard seven to eight shots and then police pointing a gun at a man kneeling on the pavement.
“I saw a lot of blood over there. A lot of people on the ground,” Yi said.
Video footage of the school bus showed its right side bashed in, and firefighters surrounding it as they worked to free children inside.
The White House said President Donald Trump was briefed on the attack.
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SOCIAL MEDIA VIDEOS:
Footage from my office. #nyc #newyork #tribeca pic.twitter.com/WYcxwrpTcE
— Jim (@Jimshina) October 31, 2017
Currently at Whole Foods across the active shooter situation. Be careful out there nyc... #tribeca pic.twitter.com/u1oPXtgAlP
— Jane (@ohwelljane) October 31, 2017
Incident in #tribeca pic.twitter.com/LbJdtNGwHI
— Genomecop (@Genomecop) October 31, 2017
Man being put into ambulance - appears responsive #TriBeCa pic.twitter.com/98Ilv4b8xF
— Maddie Clark (@maaddieclaark) October 31, 2017
Another man being taken to hospital. Came from 200 West building #Tribeca pic.twitter.com/IhcE2JYHWM
— Maddie Clark (@maaddieclaark) October 31, 2017
Tutoring in #TriBeCa right next to the site of today’s attack. My heart hurts for #NYC today. :cry: pic.twitter.com/GSgdNgfTM7
— Spencer Imbrock (@simbrock) October 31, 2017
My thoughts & prayers go out to the victims, families, & everyone personally impacted by this terrible tragedy #Manhattan #tribeca pic.twitter.com/UjgTMiIwnY
— Mohamed S Ben Debba (@MohamedSalahBD) October 31, 2017
