At least 2 dead and 7 injured when driver plows into pedestrians in Manhattan park during Fourth of July celebrations

NEW YORK – At least two people were killed and seven others injured when a suspected drunken driver sped into a Manhattan park during Fourth of July celebrations Thursday night, authorities said.

According to the New York Police Department, the incident occurred shortly before 9 p.m. in the Lower East Side.

In a late night press conference, NYPD Chief Jeffrey Maddrey said the driver of a Ford F-150 pickup truck sped down Water Street at a high rate of speed, then ran a stop sign at the intersection of Water and Cherry Streets, veered onto the sidewalk and crashed into Corlears Hook Park.

Nine pedestrians were hit, four of whom were trapped under the vehicle.

According to the New York Fire Department, emergency crews were on site within three and a half minutes and were able to recover the vehicle from the victims.

Nine people were taken to nearby hospitals. Two people were pronounced dead.

According to official information, two victims were seriously injured, three were seriously injured and two were slightly injured.

Maddrey said work was still underway to determine the ages of the victims, but at least two children were taken to a nearby hospital.

Authorities said the incident did not appear to be related to terrorism.

“A driver drove into a crowd of people who were just celebrating, as so many New Yorkers and Americans are doing right now,” said New York Mayor Eric Adams.

Authorities believe alcohol may have played a role.

“The police officers who arrived at the scene could smell some alcohol, but we are still conducting tests,” Maddrey said.

The driver, whose name was not disclosed, was arrested on the spot with the help of Good Samaritans.

“Our initial assumption was that there were people at the scene of the accident who grabbed the driver, dragged him away and made sure he didn’t drive away until emergency services arrived,” Maddrey said.