Woman crashes car into crowd in Midtown; 7 pedestrians injured, police say - WABC-TV

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Monday, August 21, 2023 4:12PM

7 injured after driver strikes crowd in Midtown: police

MIDTOWN, Manhattan (WABC) -- A woman who struck seven pedestrians in Midtown on Sunday night is undergoing a psychiatric evaluation after she told police she prayed to god and closed her eyes as she blew a red light, according to NYPD sources.

Officials say a 29-year-old New Jersey woman was heading eastbound on West 36th Street just before midnight, when she ran a red light and crashed into those seven people.

Five of the victims were taken to Bellevue Hospital with leg wounds, cuts, and other injuries. Another victim was taken to NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital and the seventh person did not want treatment.

Of the seven victims, the most seriously injured was a 34-year-old Italian tourist who is critical but stable. The other five men are all expected to be treated released.

Cell phone video showed the gruesome scene, with victims bleeding on the sidewalk and their belongings scattered everywhere.

The driver didn't stop after crashing into the Midtown crowd.

At around midnight, she drove her Honda Accord through the Midtown Tunnel and into Queens, authorities said.

The driver ended up getting into a crash involving three cars on the Long Island Expressway, just east of 188th Street.

Officials say she was taken to the North Shore University Hospital to be checked out.

The woman, from the Belle Mead section of Montgomery, is being examined for mental health issues. She does not appear to have been intoxicated and the collision does not appear deliberate or terrorism-related, according to police.

Police say she was driving her mother's car at the time.

Charges against her are pending.

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