Driver Runs Over People on West Side Greenway, Multiple Deaths Reported
Six people were reported killed and more than a dozen were injured when a driver in a pickup truck ran people over on the Hudson River Greenway this afternoon.
The assailant drove a rented Home Depot truck “down a lengthy stretch of bike path” before striking a school bus near Stuyvesant High School, at the corner of West and Chambers streets, according to the Times.
There were unconfirmed reports that the driver fired multiple gunshots before and after crashing the truck.
Video posted online showed people and bicycles on the ground near the bike path. At least one body was under a tarp.
The incident happened at around 3 p.m. WCBS reported that police shot the driver and took him into custody.
Mayor de Blasio and Governor Cuomo were at the scene as of this writing.
If initial reports are correct, today’s events would be the second time this year someone weaponized a motor vehicle to deliberately harm people in areas that are designated for New Yorkers to walk and bike separately from motorized traffic.
Nor is this the first time a motorist has driven multiple blocks on the greenway with fatal results. In 2006 a motorist driving at highway speeds killed Eric Ng as he rode his bike on the greenway south of Chelsea Piers. The city has made fixes since then, but there are still several greenway entry points that have no bollards to keep motorists out.
We’ll have more on this story as more details are made public.
