8 dead after truck plows into people in NYC in ‘cowardly act of terror’: Mayor

FAN Editor

A man driving a rental truck plowed into pedestrians and cyclists on a jogging and bike path in lower Manhattan in New York City Tuesday afternoon, killing at least eight people and injuring many others in what New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio called a “cowardly act of terror.”

The sprawling crime scene runs about 10 blocks along the West Side Highway, a few blocks away from One World Trade Center.

A suspect was apprehended at the scene. Multiple law enforcement officials told ABC News that the suspect in custody was identified as 29-year-old Sayfullo Saipov of Tampa, Florida.

The deadly incident began at about 3:05 p.m., when the vehicle — a Home Depot rental truck, according to the company — entered the West Street pedestrian and bike path north of Chambers Street, hitting multiple people on the path, leaving some dead and “numerous people injured,” New York City police said.

At Chambers Street, the truck collided with a school bus, injuring two adults and two children, police said.

After the collision, the driver of the truck, a 29-year-old man, exited the vehicle brandishing what appeared to be two handguns, police said. A uniformed police officer confronted the suspect and shot him in the abdomen, police said. A paintball gun and a pellet gun were later recovered at the scene, police said.

The suspect shouted something at police when officers confronted him, according to multiple sources.

The suspect was wounded and transported to a hospital, police said.

A witness described the chaotic scene to ABC’s New York station WABC, saying that after the truck hit multiple people on the bike path, it crashed into a school bus at Chambers and West streets, near Stuyvesant High School.

“Everybody started running,” the witness said. “… Everything was happening so fast.”

The witness added of the driver, “He kept going all the way down full speed.”

“Thank god the trick-or-treaters weren’t out yet,” the witness later said.

Video from the scene showed mangled bicycles strewn across the bike path.

There is no active threat, according to the mayor’s press secretary.

The FBI is responding to the incident.

President Donald Trump has been briefed, according to a White House spokesperson. Attorney General Jeff Sessions and FBI Director Christopher Wray have also been briefed.

This story is developing. Please check back for more updates.

ABC News’ Josh Margolin contributed to this report.

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