The driver of a pickup truck crashed into a group celebrating Independence Day at Corleone’s Hook Park, the NYPD confirmed
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At least two people have died and several others have been injured after a suspected drunk driver struck a group celebrating the Fourth of July in Lower Manhattan, New York City.
At approximately 8:55 p.m. local time on Thursday night, a gray Ford F-150 pickup truck drove through the intersection of Water and Cherry Streets, through a stop sign and into Corlears Hook Park, where people were celebrating Independence Day, the New York Police Department confirmed at a news conference.
Authorities said the truck was traveling at a high rate of speed and veered onto the sidewalk before entering the park, striking victims who were “outside enjoying the evening.”
Police said two people were dead on arrival and nine were injured in total. They added that they believed alcohol played a role in the incident, but insisted the investigation was still in its early stages.
mayor Eric Adams explained how the suspect drove into the crowd of people who were “just partying like so many New Yorkers and Americans are doing right now.”
“A total of nine people were injured and based on preliminary investigations it appears the driver was under the influence,” he added during the conference.
“At this point, it does not appear that this was terrorism-related,” Adams said.
According to FDNY Chief Michael Meyers, the ambulance service has confirmed that four people are seriously injured, three are critically injured and two are relatively stable.
According to WABC, ABC News and NBC News, a third person has now died following the incident.
The NYPD did not immediately respond when PEOPLE reached out for comment.
During the conference, Chief Meyers added that the FDNY arrived on the scene within three minutes and 44 seconds and found a pickup truck on top of four victims.
During the conference, authorities said witnesses grabbed the driver and made sure he didn’t leave until emergency services arrived. They said a mother with two young children was also among the victims.
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According to WABC, the victims were a 59-year-old woman, a 38-year-old man and a woman in her early 40s. The outlet stated that the youngest of the injured was 11 years old.
“When he made that sharp right turn, so many people started screaming. He turned toward the battlefield, which is where we normally barbecue. It’s a family that we all know. The Lower East Side is coming together,” a witness told the publication.
“I can’t get the screaming out of my head,” another witness told the New York Post.
Father of three Abdo Yahya, 30, who has lived in the neighborhood for 18 years, told the outlet: “Nothing like this has ever happened here before. I mean, they fight. They argue. But nothing like this has ever happened before. My children are now afraid to go outside.”
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