close
close
hsuses

Officials – NBC New York

Theo

At the height of the Fourth of July celebrations, at least three people died when a driver suspected of driving under the influence of alcohol sped into a Lower East Side park, hitting 10 people, according to police and city officials.

The gray pickup truck ran a stop sign near the intersection of Water and Jackson streets before jumping the sidewalk and speeding into Corlears Hook Park around 9 p.m., NYPD leadership said at a late-night press conference.

The park was full of families enjoying the holiday when the truck drove up at high speed and struck 10 people. Emergency crews quickly arrived at the scene and found four people trapped under the truck.

Emergency crews worked to lift the truck and get the injured revelers out as quickly as possible. Several victims were taken to area hospitals, but at least three people succumbed to their injuries, senior police officials told News 4.

The driver appeared to have alcohol on his breath, according to NYPD Chief Jeff Maddrey. Investigators believe alcohol played a role in the tragic incident and said they do not believe it was a terrorist incident.

Gray truck was left at the scene in the park after four people were trapped underneath.
Gray truck was left at the scene in the park after four people were trapped underneath.

Maddrey said witnesses rushed to the truck, pulled the driver out and held him until police arrived and took him into custody.

The ages of the victims injured and killed in the crash are not yet known, but Maddrey said two of them were young children.

At the NYPD press conference, officers reported a total of nine patients and two deaths. Senior police officials said shortly afterward that a third death had been reported and a tenth patient had been hospitalized with facial injuries.

Related Posts